Earth's Magic
by Raydiva
Summary: According to Queen Marlena, Earth has no true magic. Thanks to the Horde and a interfering dragon spirit, that is about to change.
1. Ruins of Terra

**Note: **This is my first truly new fanfiction in a loooong time. I have written before, but had to same as give it up for a while. I tried going back to my old stories, but sadly I just can't seem to get into them. Instead, He-Man invaded. Don't ask me how or why, but I just can't seem to get this story out of my head so decided might as well write it down.

I do not own anything He-Man, Masters of the Universe, She-Ra, Elder Scrolls, etc. I'm just having some fun with their characters and ideas. I make no money from this, but then again who would pay for my crappy writing?

**Chapter 1: Ruins of Terra******

(Scene: European castle ruins, Earth)

Inside a large, off-white tent sat a young, dark blonde headed woman carefully looking over some old pieces of pottery. The tent flap opened as a dirt covered teen entered carrying a large box.

"Here's another boxful for ya', Thea," said the teenager.

"Thanks, Jack, "Replied the young woman as she cleared off a spot on the table. Her dark green eyes blinked as he laid the box down, "Well this looks promising."

"Really? Cool!, "said Jack, "Please tell me it's the sword. I have money down on it, ya know. The guys have a betting pool on the first magical doodad we would find. I put down it would be a sword."

With an ironic grin, the woman shook her head, "Can't believe it's been less than a year and there are already betting pools on mystical artifacts." She pulls the broken sword out of the box. It appeared to be made out of a one solid piece of metal, with a strange longer than normal cross guard that tapered directly into a blade. The blade itself was broken off about an inch away from where it met the cross guard. She tapped the strange green and black stone embedded in the cross guard. It was shaped like a giant snake scale but was harder. The woman said, "Well, you're close. It's not the sword but this decorative stone. So I'm not sure how your betting pool will count that."

She placed the sword on the table, next to a plain wooden cane, before carefully going through the box. Jack sat down and asked, "Just how do you do that? Know something has magic?"

The woman shrugged as she placed a small statue on the table. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. I'm one of those…hum…lucky people who seem to be have developed abilities after the invasion. Me, I just 'see' magic. It's like a glow or aura. I can get an idea how strong and what type of magic from that aura." Tapping the stone on the sword once more, "For example, this stone is strong but dormant. It appears to a combination of elemental and spiritual power."

"And the sword itself?"

"It appears more of a focus for the stone, something to make it easier to be used. It has magic, but more like it soaked up the stone's excess power. Strange, there seems to be a faint trace of additional magic. Not part of the sword itself, but something it's been exposed…"

The tents flap door slapped open when an older man with peppered grey hair entered. Wearing a spotless three piece suit, he sneered and said, "Mr. Johnston, Ms. Strom. Don't you two have something more important to do than flirt.."

Jack blushed, but the woman glared right back and replied, "Jack was doing something important: Learning. He is a promising archeology student asking about the artifacts he helped to dig up. That is what HE is here for after all. Which brings me to ask…What are you doing here, Mr. Devon?"

"You dare, "Devon growled, "You worthless, little freak! If it wasn't for me…"

At that point Jack jumped up to defend the woman, but the woman placed took hold of his arm as she looked directly into Devon's eyes, "I may be a freak, but I'm not worthless. After all, I received three employment offers just this morning alone. One of which is back in the States. If you feel I'm so 'worthless,' I can leave now and take the first flight out of here. " She then gave an evil smile, "But then you would have to explain to both the Earth Alliance and the University why I left."

Devon turned to leave, but stopped when the woman added, "If I hear you are taking your frustrations out on the students, again, I will report you. After all, this worthless, little freak's word is considered more valuable than yours."

"We shall see, Ms. Althea Strom just how valuable you are, "he sneered as he walked out.

"Whoa, "said Jack as he fell back into the chair, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone take on Mr. Devon and win like that before."

Althea hmphed, "I don't know why he is even here. He's no researcher or field supervisor. If he's an observer, then he has none of the authority he pretends to have."

"Maybe, but he sure can be scary," said Jack.

"Soooo he's a copyright lawyer?" Althea asked with a completely straight face.

**(Scene Change: Castle Greyskull, Eternia)**

Adam, Prince of Eternia, stepped out of the shadows to stand in front of the Sorceress' throne. Looking up at the Sorceress, he asked, "You asked for me?"

"Yes, Adam, "the Sorceress answered as she raised her had to bring forth an image of some ruins, "Something, seems to be awaking in the Ruins of Terra. Nothing evil…just old and powerful."

"So you want He-Man to investigate?"

"Actually, no. I was hoping that you could take your mother, Queen Marlena, to take a look at the ruins."

"What?! " Adam exclaimed with wide eyes, "Why?"

"The Ruins of Terra once held a large portal to a single world. That world is called Earth, "said the Sorceress, "From what I understand, your mother said Earth has had no magic. According to some scrolls I found researching the ruins, the portal faded away when magic left that world. Queen Marlena might be able to help determine if what is happening is originating from Earth or not. How I'm not sure, but…it feels right."

**(Scene Change: Just west of the Ruins of Terra)**

"This is so exciting, "said Queen Marlena from the back seat of the Wind Raider, "I'm so glad you asked me to come along, Adam. I don't get out as much as a should."

"Glad to have you along, Mother, "said Adam, "I will admit, I was surprise when the Sorceress recommended you come along."

"Ruins of Terra, "Marlena mused, "Terra is just another name for Earth, an older more formal name I guess you might say. You mentioned that there was once a portal to Earth in these ruins."

"According to the Sorceress, "replied Adam.

Man at Arms hummed and said, "We should be able to see the ruins once we pass over this mountain. I'll land a little ways from them so that we find a safe place to camp."

A little later, the trio walked out of the camp and towards the ruins. "Mother, you said Earth had no magic?" said Adam, "How could there have been a portal there if that is the case?"

"Well, when I left, no one really believed in magic like the kind the Orko or the Sorceress has, "answered Marlena, "But Earth does has more than its share of legends. Dragons, wizards…magic swords."

"Ah…yeah, "said Adam nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

**(Scene Change: European castle ruins, Earth)**

Althea stretched and turned her neck slightly, wincing at the loud popping noise. "Well that's done for the day, "she said as she placed the sword into its own small crate, not noticing in the dimming light that the stone it once held was missing. After stapling down the crate's lid, she reached over for her cane. Taking deep breath, she struggled a little standing up, leaning on the cane heavily for support. "Oh…I sat down waaaay too long, "she muttered and then looked at the crate with a tired look, and said, "I think I'll see if I can get Jack or perhaps one of the dig site guards to carry that to the van."

Using the cane for support, she limped to the tent's flap door. As she passed one of the lights, it revealed the heavy metal brace supporting her right knee. As tired as she was and paying more attention to her painful knee, she never noticed the small addition to her once plain cane.

Once outside of the tent, Althea took a deep breath of the evening air. Enjoying the view of the old castle ruins before her, she noticed something glowing from the one standing tower in the distance. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand and looked again. The glow was gone. She shook her head, thinking that she may have spent too much time looking for magic that day. She was starting to see it everywhere.

"Hey, Thea!" Yelled Jack in the distance, standing next to the travel van and waving his arm.

Althea yelled back, "Hey, can you come over I need…"

The ground exploded between her and the van.

"GO!" yelled Althea as she quickly limped around the tent towards one of the stronger looking stone walls, "GET OUT OF HERE AND GET HELP!"

As the dust settled, she hid behind the wall and breathed a sigh of relief hearing the van quickly drive off. A few moments later, five figures flew down. Four white armored men rode what appeared to be sky sleds. As they landed, Althea could see the red, bat-like emblem on their chests.

"Crap, not again, "she whispered and has a small flash back to similar soldier's blowing up a building she was trapped in at one time, her leg seemed to remember the pain of being crushed. Shaking her head, she fought off the memory and started to think of what to do.

The fifth figured, riding a floating platform, landed. Devon's voice rang out, "You, get the sword from the tent. You three make sure that there is no one else around and see if you can find that blasted portal!" Devon stepped off of the platform and into slightly brighter light. Instead of his three piece suit, he now wore black armor from the neck down. The only color other color being the red, bat-like symbol over the right side of this chest.

"That son of a…"she muttered as she briefly considered the implications. Suddenly, she felt a strong urge to get to the tower. Figuring it was because the tower would provide the most cover, she carefully made her way, using the broken wall and dig holes as cover. It was slow and painful going due to her bad leg, but she would make it.

"Come out, Ms. Strom, "Devon's voice filled the air, "I know you are out there."

Althea risked a quick look and saw his eyes start to glow. She quickly ducked back down and froze, with her back to the wall. Gripping her cane tightly, she chanting in her mind, "Don't see me, don't see me, don't see me." Feeling as if something clicked she risked another look and saw Devon look the other way. With a small sigh of relief, she continued to move.

She neared the un-cleared area in front of the tower. Sadly they had yet to acquire permission from the local government to start digging here so all the small broken stones and brick were still scattered about, making it dangerous for a woman who depended on a cane to get through. What was worse there was no cover until she got into the tower. Looking carefully and easily counting all five figures in the far distance, she navigated the through the rocks and into the partially collapse tower. Once inside the tower walls, she took a small break to catch her breath.

She looked around and then 'saw' that there was a large glowing ring on the floor. She lifted her cane to tape it and finally noticed that her cane also had an aura. She turned it slighted and gasped. Where there was once hardly anything before, there was now a highly decorative collar on it. The collar now included a bronze, Nordic style dragon holding the green and black 'scale' that was supposed to be on a broken sword. The dragon, wrapped around the cane's shaft three times its tail hidden behind its head. The stone seem to flash once, nearly blinding the woman. It was then she heard the distant footsteps. Following her feelings, she tapped the ring three times. She nearly jumped back as the flagstones fell away revealing a stairwell. It was at this point, her natural stubbornness kicked in. What the hell was she doing?! Was it that strange stone telling her what to do? Images of the soldiers nearing the tower flashed in her mind. Shaking her head, she understood. She really didn't have much of a choice.

**(Scene change: Ruins of Terra, Eternia)**

Adam and the Queen walked through what was once the ruin's front gate with no problem, but when Man at Arms tried he crashed in what appeared to be an invisible wall. He hit it hard enough to nearly fall backwards. Rubbing his nose, he fought off the watering in his eyes.

"Are you alright Duncan?" Adam asked as he turned to check on his old friend.

Man at Arms sighed and said, "Yes, I'm fine but what did I hit?"

"Oh my, "said the Queen looking up towards the keep and pointed to an image carved above a keep's door, "I do believe that is Latin."

Both Adam and Man at Arms looked up. The engraved image was that of a stone tower and with a single moon above it. Below the engraving was, to them at least, strange lettering.

"What is Latin?" asked Adam.

"Latin is a very old Earth language that is now rarely used, outside of scientific terms or religious sermons, "Marlena narrowed her eyes trying to get a better look, "My Latin might be rusty but … 'Excipite itaque pueri Tarrae'….I think. 'Welcome Children of Earth'…yes that is what it says."

"So maybe, only those from Earth or of Earth blood may enter, "Dunan said as he considered the implications, "That could be why this place has remained untouched for so long. Not because of its location but because of this spell."

"Well it looks like we have our proof that Earth did once have a contact with Eternia, "said Adam.

"As fascinating as this might be, "said Man at Arms, "We might want to head back to camp. It will be dark soon and since I can't enter it would be better not to risk the Queen's safety by wondering around in the dark."

The Queen and her son gave Man at Arms the exact same frustrated look that clearly said 'We just got here'.

The old soldier mentally groaned when he saw that. As much as everyone seemed to think Adam takes after his father…he knew he got more than his fair share of his mother's stubbornness.

**(Scene change: Under the castle ruins, Earth)**

Althea's leg throbbed as she finally found the end of the stairs. As her foot landed on the stone floor, torches lit up on their own. A long hall with statues lining both sides and a strange solid arch at the end was revealed. The statues were twice as tall as the average human being but seem even larger due to what the subjects were wearing. The helms looked to be a dragon's forehead, with horn flaring toward the back. The breastplate seemed to be made out of large scales. There were no paldrons, but large claw like gauntlets ran up to the elbows. The sabatons and greaves were the second biggest surprise. Instead of two separate pieces they seem to be one and in the shape the rear legs of some sort of beast with three large claws. The biggest surprise was the wings. Not looking like back wing but almost like armored bird wings but with large solid looking feathers. The looking down the hall she noticed there were both male and female warriors. Each holding a different weapon, but each weapon had a now familiar Nordic dragon motif. As she neared the arch, she looked up to see a strange engraving of what looked to be a stone keep with two moons above it.

As she attempted a closer look at the lettering below it, she was shoved to the side by an unseen force. As she fell, a dark beam flew through where she once stood and then blasted a small hole in to the wall. She rolled to hide behind one of the statues. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out from pain in her knee as she attempted to get up.

"You surprise me, Ms. Strom, "said Devon as he looked around the hall, "Here I thought you were a worthless, crippled, freak of a human…Just how did you counter my spell of seeking…Hmmm?

Remaining silent, she tried to move as quietly as possible to hide behind a different statue.

"Why so quiet?"Devon grinned, "You had so much to tell me earlier." He lifted a strange looking gun and fired a dark beam towards the statue she just left. The beam hit, causing it to melt. "Bah! I don't have time for games, "he said as he made setting change on the gun and then used it to sweep the room with a narrower but longer lasting beam. It sliced through each statue through the upper thigh, causing them to crash down. Althea dove into the middle of the hallway to avoid getting crushed.

"Ah…there you are, " Devon strolled over to her as she struggled to get up. Taking a firm grip of her chin, he forced her to look up at him as he said, "Now with these lovely eyes of yours, you will find the key and open this portal."

"Do it yourself, "she spat.

Devon backslapped her back to the ground.

"Bitch! "he growled as he eyes started to glow a sickly yellow, "You will open that portal or I will hunt down every single one of those students you are so protective of. They will know what it is to be a prisoner of the Horde."

Defeated, the woman nodded, and struggled to get up. Devon seemed to be amused with her obvious pain and made no move to help her up, even if it meant delaying the completion of his goal. Once up, she turned and 'looked' at the portal. She could 'see' the dormat magic it held, but not the key Devon spoke of. Following the urge to look down, she 'saw' a pattern of glowing symbols on the ground that somehow she was able to read and understand. She felt, more than heard a growl like purr in her head. She would stop Devon, or die trying. Taking a step forward and then turning around, she took one more look at the patterns and prayed what she was seeing was true. She used her cane to 'move' the symbols around until they read 'Bex, saraan daal Gar Nos' which she hoped translated to 'Open, wait for return and then Unleash Strike.'

She then turned just enough to be able to reach the wall behind her and tap three times. On the third tap, the portal opened with a roar.

Her cane then seemed to almost jump in front of her and created a mystical shield just when Devon's blast hit. The blast was strong enough to send her through the portal.

**(Scene change: Ruins of Terra, Eternia)**

A loud boom caused the ground to shake, causing the Queen to fall to her knees. Adam helped his mother up and then said, "Duncan get Mother to safety. I'm gonna check that out."

"Adam, wait…"the Queen said but Adam was already running into the direction that the noise came from. Marlena turned to join Man at Arms outside the ruin walls and followed his lead back to camp.

Once he was out of sight, Adam stopped and pulled out his sword. Raising it to the air, he said, 'By the Power of Greyskull!" Adam transformed into He-Man, finishing with loud "I have the Power!"

He-Man then raced into the stone keep and saw the once dead portal awaken with a flash. As he walked over carefully to investigate, a woman flew through backwards and crashed into the wall on the other side of the room. With a painful, groan she slide to the floor.

He-Man quickly walked over to her and knelt down to see how badly she was hurt, "Are you alright?"he asked.

Althea opened one eye to see who would be stupid enough to ask such a question! She was literally thrown into stone wall. As her sight cleared she saw past the man and sensed something coming. "Look out!" she warned but not in time. A dark blast hit He-Man in the back, sending him into the wall next to her. The cane that she somehow did not lose once again seemed to force her hand up and summoned a larger shield covering both her and the strange man. Blast after blast hit the shield. Each time it was hit, the shield held but seem to shake slightly more.

"Mister, I don't know who you are but I so hope you are still alive and have a plan on getting us out of here."

He-Man groaned and turned to sit on the ground next to her. "I'm ok and working on that plan. Would help some if I knew what was going on."

"How the blazes am I suppose to know. One moment looking over the dig site the next thing I know there are explosions, Horde soldiers, demands to open a portal…Oh by the way, I have no idea how I'm doing this shield thingy."

Devon chose that moment to step through the portal and said, "So you truly have no idea? How droll! Earth's first true magic wielder in centuries doesn't have a clue. Although I should thank you, you did open the perfect back door to Eternia that we can use…once the Horde takes over your pitiful Earth."

"I don't think so, "said He-Man standing up and pulling out his sword. Althea somehow knew to drop the shield even though Devon was preparing another blast. A blast He-Man deflected blast right back at Devon with his sword.

"Ahhh….He-Man I presume, "said Devon with a smirk, "I've heard of you and I am curious if you are as durable as they say."

Instead of using his gun, Devon sent a blast of dark red flame from his other hand towards the hero. Once again, He-Man deflected it but this time it hit way harder.

"Run, "He-Man said back to the Althea.

"Would if I could, "she said under her breath. Using both her cane and the wall, she pulled herself up and then limped/hopped away as fast as she could. The ground shook from the battle between Devon and He-Man and as she just made it out the door, the ground shook again and nearly knocked her to her knees. It was at this time, her leg brace broke and she did fall flat on her face. 'Son of a…, "she growled as she pushed herself up off the ground and rolled over to check the damage. The brace was in pieces and there was no way she was going to jury rig it enough to be able to move out of here. A few select words escaped her lips as considered her options. "Damn it, I just can't let him win, "she muttered and rolled back over to start trying to drag herself to safety.

":You can fight rather than run:" a voice entered her head, ":If you chose to:"

"Great, now I'm hearing voices in my head," she said as she continued to drag herself.

The voice chuckled, ":Yes you are, but this voice is not insanity but…someone who wishes you to find your true potential Seeker:"

"Ok, why did you call me 'Seeker?"

":You are the Seeker of Magic:" the voice replied, ":You will help bring back magic to a world that will need it. To aid you, I can grant you the power you need to fight!:"

"Great, now something wants my soul."

":You are wise to be careful and if there was time I would have slowly showed you what you needed to know to make this decision. But this 'He-Man' is in great danger. Devon is a danger to Earth:"

Althea stopped moving and sighed, "What do you need?"

": Your Oath. Swear that you will never abuse the power! That you will use it power to bring magic back to Earth! That you will follow the ways of the Light!:"

"And the Horde…"

": They are of the Darkness! Betrayers of the Light! Fight them!:"

"I…swear not to abuse the power. I swear to bring magic back to Earth. I swear to follow the Light."

":Now use your Thu'um, to speak the words!:" said the voice and a series of characters filled her mind.

Althea sat up and taking a tight grip of her cane, lifted it above her head and said, "Faal Dovahzii Lahney!"

(Seconds later)

He-man crashed through the now weakened stone wall with a boom. He landed heavily next to the remains of Althea's leg brace. Devon stepped through the hole in the wall and said, "I do say, you are a tough one, but still I have no idea why Hordak has such a hard time killing you." He raised his two glowing hands as he added, "Guess I'm just going to.."

"FUS RO!"

A forceful blast stuck Devon from side throwing him across the courtyard.

"Who DARES!"Devon roared as he recovered from the hit. A winged figured stepped out of the shadows. Devon seeing this said, "No…Its impossible! Your kind is dead!"

"Ruz Zu'u gaaf…"the dragon warrior replied but then shook her head, "Then I am a ghost…"

The armor that the woman wore appeared to be made out of green and black dragon scales. The helm's teeth appeared to be made out of silver, matching the color of her long braided hair. She held a dark colored staff trimmed in silver with one armored hand.

"No not a ghost, "Devon sneered, "But a worthless coward that hid here on Eternia as her brethren died."

The woman growled and moved into a more aggressive stance as Devon continued, "Well guess it's time for me to finish the job I started all those years ago."

The woman jumped straight up to avoid the blast. She then turned in mid-air to swoop down toward the dark wizard and struck at him with her staff. The staff bounced off his shields as he laughed.

"liss Slen Nus!" the dragon warrior shouted, sending a blast of freezing cold that coated the shields, thus encasing him in sphere of solid ice.

With a roar, the sphere shattered as Devon escaped and revealed his true appearance. No longer did he look like human. Hair solid black, skin the color of blood and small horns on each temple; he looked very much like the classic Christian version of Satan.

"Yep…definitely a copyright lawyer, "the woman muttered.

At this point He-Man came over to stand next to her and said, "Whoever you are, thanks for the breather."

Seeing that it was now two against one, Devan snarled and then changed into a dark orb that streaked back into the keep.

"Oh oh…"the woman said, "Move, that place is gonna blow!" They both raced to the other side of a stone wall, and just when they made it the entire keep exploded!

As the dust settled, the woman took a long look at the rubble and then with a sad sigh she turned to He-Man. "I sense you have the blood of Earth in your veins warrior, "she said, "There is now a woman from that world that is stranded and is in need of guidance until she is able to find her way back home. "

"Of course, "said He-Man, "I'm certain that she would be welcomed at the Royal Palace, since the Queen herself if from Earth."

"You'll find her on the other side of that rubble, "the dragon warrior turned to fly off.

"Who are you?" asked He-Man.

"That is a tale for another time, "she replied.

**To be continued….**


	2. The Dovah

**Note:** Nooooooo! I watched He-Man on Netflix a few nights ago and went back today for more inspiration. They remove He-Man (1980's version) from the instant view list! Son of a …

BTW Thanks for the reviews and as for Althea seeing Adam's sword, JustLucky05, I already considered it.

**Chapter 2: The Dovah**

_Previously on Earth's Magic:_

_Althea sat up and taking a tight grip of her cane, lifted it above her head and said, "Faal Dovahzii Lahney!"_

_"liss Slen Nus!" the dragon warrior shouted._

**(Ruins of Terra)**

He-Man found the Earth woman on the other side of the now destroyed Keep, placed safely behind some boulders. Appearing tired and defeated, she said, "Here to help out the worthless cripple?"

"I am here to help, "said He-Man as he knelt down next to the woman, "You are not worthless. If you were, that guy wouldn't have tried so hard to kill you."

A tired 'Ha' escaped Althea, who then said, "Well that's one way to look at it. By the way, my name's Althea."

"Pleased to meet you, I am called He-Man, "said the champion, "Need a lift?"

Althea sighed and replied, "I'll have to take you up on that offer…my knee brace broke and I can't really get around without it."

He-Man easily picked up the young woman and then started to walk towards the camp, "Let's get you to some friends of mine."

Exhausted, Althea laid her head on He-Man's broad chest. A few moments later, she laughed tiredly. "I must be tired. Here I am being carried by a half naked, more than healthy looking male and I all I can think about is how good a shower and a clean bed sounds."

**(Camp)**

As He-Man approached the camp, he could hear the Queen clearly.

"I am your Queen, "Marlena stated firmly as she glared at Man at Arms, "My son, your Prince, is in there. I demand that you let me…"

"He-Man! Thank the Anc ients, "said Man at Arms seeing the hero approach.

"He-Man?!" said Marlena as she turn. Seeing Althea in his arms, "Who is that?

"Your Majesty, Man at Arms, "the hero said as sat Althea down on one of the portable chairs, "Meet Althea from Earth. Do you think that could help her out? I … need to go check on Prince Adam."

"Of course, He-Man, "replied the Queen as she picked up one of the water canteens and headed over to their new guest.

"Ah, Duncan, "said He-Man, "Can I have a private word with you?"

As the Queen concentrated on making Althea more comfortable, He-Man and Man at Arms walked a little ways away to make sure that Marlena would not overhear them.

"What is it, He-Man? "said Duncan in a low voice.

"Try not to let Althea talk about Earth until we get back to the palace, "He-Man said as he looked towards the two women, "She has some information that will definitely upset the Queen."

"Oh?"

"The Horde is on Earth."

**(Scene Change: Next Day, Royal Palace)**

Althea walked into the royal dining hall, not really sure if this was the right place. Wearing a new, more durable looking knee brace she found walking a little easier but still needed to use her cane. Wearing dark blue pants and shirt given to her by one of the servants; she looked around wondering if this was such a good idea.

"Althea, "greeted Queen Marlena, "I'm so happy you agreed to join us for lunch. Please sit here next to me. I want to hear all I can about what is now happening on Earth."

"Thank you, "Althea said shyly, "Your…Majesty?"

"Oh just ignore the titles for now. I know better than anyone that they are rarely used on Earth and will take time to get use to. Sit, "said the Queen.

As Althea sat down, Adam entered the room and greeted his parents with a 'Mother' and a 'Father' as he sat down.

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" said King Randor, "My son is actually on time? "

"Well, huh…yeah, "said Adam not bothering to look at his father as the twiddled around with a napkin.

Althea gave Adam a thoughtful look and then turned her attention back to the royal couple as Randor said, "While we wait on the food to be served, tell us a little about yourself."

"Well, as you know my name is Althea Strom. I grew up in a small town in South Texas and studied Archaeology at the University of Texas, "Althea said and then took a nervous sip of water, "My studies were cut short due to…an invasion."

"Invasion?" gasped the Queen.

"Strange creatures, armies of armored soldiers and vehicles seemed to literally appear out of nowhere. Blasted everything they came across. That's how I messed up my leg…" Althea paused to take a sip of water. She continued knowing they were now more interested in hearing about the invasion than about herself, "Fortunately, the initial invasion was the worst of it. Surprisingly, all the armed forces across the world were actually able to work together to fight them off. There are even rumors that someone was able to sneak in a nuke or two onto the largest airships. The war appeared to be over in a few months."

"You said appeared to be over, "said Adam.

"I was helping out at a dig sight, when a small group of same kind of armored soldiers appeared and basically chased me to Eternia, "Althea sighed and she closed her eyes, "There have been more than a few strange attacks in the last few months. Most seem to think that they were they were some terrorist attacks or something similar. I now believe, the attacks were made by the invaders looking for something."

"Do you know who these invaders might be?"prompted Randall.

"They called themselves the Horde."

"Those beasts?!" growled Randor as the Queen's face paled and brought a shocked hand to her face.

"You know of them?"asked Althea.

"They attacked Eternia years ago and even kidnapped my daughter shortly after we forced most of their forces off our planet, "answered the King.

Adam then spoke up to add, "Adora, my sister, was recently…rescued and is now leading a rebellion against the Horde occupation on Etheria"

"Do you have any idea why they attacked your dig site?"asked Man at Arms as he sat down at the table.

"Not sure, but I have a few guesses, "Althea answered and then looked at the Queen, "Queen Marlena when you left Earth it was believed that magic did not exist."

"True, "said the Queen.

"Earth does have magic. For some reason it has been dormant for centuries, "said Althea, "When the Horde invaded they used both machines and magic. Their use of magic seems to have awakened some of Earth's magic."

"Are you certain? "whispered the Queen.

With an ironic smile Althea said, "A few people seem to have develop abilities due to magic's return. I'm one of those 'lucky' people. I can … detect magic. Because of this I was 'asked' to help find magical artifacts that could be used in case of another invasion. That is another reason my archaeology studies were cut short, I was needed more for what I can sense than what I could know. That was why I was at the dig site. It was my job to look over the place to see if I can sense some magic. Then the researchers and student volunteers would dig the stuff up. I would then get a closer look at the artifacts to find out which ones had magic." Althea frowned and continued, "It was because of me that the site was attacked. Devon needed me to find and open that portal."

"Seems kinda strange that guy went through all that trouble to open a portal only to blow it up," said Adam.

"Well…he didn't blow it up, "said Althea, "I did. He couldn't really see what I doing since it only I could 'see' the key bindings. Somehow I was able arranged the portal's key bindings to allow it to open, but if anyone returned through it would destroy itself. It was the only way I could think of to stop him and enable the students to get away."

Adam looked shocked and asked, "But what about you?"

"I figured I was already the same as dead, "she answered with a shake of her head and a shrug, "At least this way I either stopped him or at least slowed him down."

Servants carrying trays walked into the dining room and started serving the food. "Well the food is here, "announced the King, "Let's talks about something a little more enjoyable while we eat."

As they ate, Althea remained silent but occasionally glanced over to Adam as she listened to the conversation around her. The one called Teela, a Captain or something, walked in and sat down next to her father. "Sorry I'm late, I had to see about replacing some of my equipment and it took longer than expected."

The King nodded and continued to chat with his wife about some court drama from last night. Apparently, some noble's son was caught spending time with a rival noble's daughter.

"Adam, don't forget you have training this afternoon, "Teela said loudly just before taking a bit and then added after swallowing, "Don't be late and don't you dare 'forget' like last time."

"Aw come on Teela, "said Adam, "Give me a break. It's not like I'm ever going to be as good a fighter as you and the others."

"Well you might be, if you ever bothered to practice,"Teela said with a angry look.

Adam not being a good fighter struck Althea as strange, until she took in what else was said about Adam. Being late or not showing up. Not wanting to fight yet having that magical sword. With the exact same magic as the one that He-Man used.

": Ah…the boy is wise to keep his power a secret. It protects his love ones and himself:" the now familiar voice in her head said, ": Perhaps you should warn him that his sword's magic is a means someone can determine his secret:"

"Althea, "said the Queen in a concerned voice, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Spaced out for a moment there, "she answered and then turned to look at Adam, "Adam is there any chance you can show me around? I kinda got lost just trying to find the dining room."

"Sure, "said Adam with a smile, "How about after we eat? We'll make an afternoon of it…"

Teela glared at the prince and said, "Adam! You have…"

"Let the boy show his guest around, Teela, "interrupted Teela's father, "You know it won't hurt for him to miss one day and I could use your help re-designing the training field. The soldiers are starting to find ways around the obstacles that were not intended."

With a frustrated sigh, Teela said, "Yes, Father."

**(Few Hours Later)**

"And here we are at the palace library, "said Adam opening the large doors to allow Althea to enter the room, "You should be able to find a few books to enjoy during your stay."

"Definitely, "said Althea with a smile as she walked past the bookshelves and glanced down them to make sure that there was no one else in the room.

Curious, Adam asked, "Are you looking for something?"

"Just making sure we are alone, "said Althea as a serious look came over her face, "There's something I need to talk to you about and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want anyone to hear."

"Oh?"

Althea turned to face Adam and said, "Remember when I said I can detect magic? Well I can actually 'see' it and get some ideas about what type of magic it is. That sword you have hidden on your back, it's the same one He-Man used yesterday isn't it?"

Adams face paled as he took a step back in shock and said, "What sword…I'm.."

"Look Adam, I'm trying to help!, "said Althea, "I can see that sword's magic bright as day on your back. It has the exact same aura as He-Man's sword. You might want to see about finding some way to better mask it in case someone else with a similar ability gets a good look at it."

"I don't know what you..,"Adam stopped mid-sentence and got a far-away look. After a few seconds he said, "I gotta go. We'll talk more about this later." The prince then raced out of the room.

"Huh?" said a confused Althea.

": He has been summoned by someone:" the voice said, ": Most likely this 'He-Man' is needed somewhere:"

"Reeeeally?"

**(Outside of Castle Greyskull)**

"He he he heeee" Skeletor cackled as he stood not far from Castle Greyskull, "He-Man should be here any minute now. Prepare yourselves!"

Beastman snarled as he jumped onto the back of his gryphon. The gryphon flew up and then down into the crevasse surrounding the castle. Evil-Lyn smirked as she swept her cape around herself and vanished.

Skeletor took a few steps and summoned a stone pedestal. He then pulled out a large crystal and placed it on the pedestal. Saying a few strange words, Skeletor held his hand just above the crystal. The crystal started to glow a dark purple. Seeing this Skeletor cackled again and muttered, "All is now ready."

Battlecat's roar filled the air, and Skeletor turn to see his long time adversary. "Skeletor!" said He-Man as he pulled out his sword, "Whatever you are doing, it's over."

Unseen, a form glided down and landed on one of the trusses spanning across the partial bridge to Greyskull. Lighting flashed, showing the dragon warrior that He-Man met at the Ruins of Terra.

Down below, Skeletor said, "Oh I don't think so He-Man. NOW!"

Evil-Lyn appeared and held up a crystal similar to Skeletor's. Beastman flew up from the crevasse and did the same. Purple beams raced from Skeletor's crystal and raced to Evil-Lyn's and Beastman's. Then an additional beam ran from Evil-Lyn's to Beastman's, creating a triangle that surrounded He-Man and Battlecat. From the beams, a faint purple wall rose and created a three sided pyramid.

Battlecat roared and tried to attack Evil-Lyn, only to be knocked by the purple wall.

"He he he he!" Skeletor laughed, "Now I have you and soon you will be sent to the darkest regions of the Neath…

"FUS!"

A force shoved Beastman's gryphon to the side, breaking his connection and causing the pyramid to shatter with the sound of breaking glass.

"You moron!" yelled Skeletor,"Get back in place!"

"I don't think so, "said He-Man just before punching Skeletor in the face. As the villain fell back, he accidently knocked his crystal off the pedestal. It landed hard on the ground and shattered.

Beastman growled as he ordered his gryphon to attack.

"FUS!"

Once again the gryphon was knocked to the side, nearly causing Beastman to fall off. "Who the Blazes is doing that?"demanded Evil-Lyn as she sent a magical bindings to hold down the attacking Battlecat.

A strange laugh caused Evil-Lyn to look up and see the winged woman sitting on her perch. "Maar dreh paysul.."the woman shook her head and then said, "I can do this all day."

"Dovah?" Evil-Lyn said as her face paled more than normal.

"Dovahzii, to be more accurate, "said the woman as she stood up and then glided down to face the witch, "I am curious how you know of my kind?"

Evil-Lyn stepped back, away from the dragon warrior and said, "I know…enough to DESTROY YOU!" Evil-Lyn then sent a flash of extremely bright light into the woman's face, blinding the 'Dovahzii' and forcing the woman to cover her eyes. Evil-Lyn then raised her staff to cast a more destructive spell. Battlecat broke free of his bonds and jumped onto Evil-Lyn, causing her spell to miss.

"Enough of this, "said Skeletor as he fought He-Man, "Retreat my minions! Our victory will have to wait for another day."

Evil-Lyn and Skeletor vanished as Beastman flew off on his gryphon.

"Sahlo, nivahrrin vokul VITH!" growled the dragon warrior as she attempted to recover her sight.

"I don't think I need a translation for that line, "said He-Man as he walked over to the woman, "You alright?"

The partially blind glare the woman gave him made He-Man cough through a laugh and say, "Sorry, standard question."

"Please forgive me, He-Man, "the dragon warrior sighed, "I'm just frustrated at my own carelessness."

He-Man got the same faraway look that Adam had earlier. The jaw bridge dropped as he turned and gave the dragon warrior a strange look. "The Sorceress would like to speak with you."

The woman thought about the invite and then nodded, "Perhaps this 'Sorceress' is the one we need to speak with."

He-man indicated with his arm for the woman to go ahead of him, then he and Battlecat followed her across the bridge.

Once inside, the Sorceress stood with her arms crossed and said, "Welcome He-Man and you as well Dovah."

"The Dovah are long dead, Sorceress, "said the dragon warrior, "I am just…a memory of what they once were. At most, a Dovahzii...Spirit of the Dovah"

"If you don't mind, who are the Dovah?" asked He-Man.

The Sorceress sat on her throne and activated her monitor. A flight of dark-green dragons flew across the screen.

"There are many breeds of dragon, He-Man. One breed, the Dovah, had the most unusual power. Their power was in their Words, "said the Sorceress as one of the dragons in the monitor could be heard saying 'Yol Toor Shul' as it breathed fire.

"It made arguments..interesting, "said the dragon warrior with a grin.

"They didn't tire from their use of this strange magic, didn't seem to need an external source of power or components as most magic users do, "continued the Sorceress, "Physically, they were not as strong as other dragon breeds but this Voice they had made them a powerful. Another difference they had from most dragons was their fondness for Humans."

"We considered the Humans as our younger siblings, "said the dragon warrior, "They alone could learn to Speak as we do. For most this was difficult and only after years of practice could they learn to Speak a single Word, but that alone made them unique among the mortal races. Occasionally a rare human would be born with the ability to Speak as easily as any Dovah. These humans we considered as one of our own, a true Dovah only in human form."

The image of the monitor changed, to that of a muscular man in the same type of armor as the woman wore. However, he carried a sword similar in appearance to He-Man's instead of staff but it also had a Nordic dragon motif decorating it.

The dragon warrior continued, "We did not care to interfere too much in Human affairs, but these human Dovah were a different matter. We saw to their training, showing them the ways of the Light and providing them armor to…provide what they were missing due to being born human."

The male dragon warrior on the monitor spread his wings and then flew off as the monitor went dark.

"What happened to the Dovah, "asked He-Man.

"The Darkness came, "was all the woman said.

"Tell us, Dovahzii, "said the Sorceress, "What brings you to Eternia and where have you been all these years?"

The Dovahzii laughed ironically and said, "When the Dovah started to die off and it became obvious that there were too few of us left, desperate measures were taken. A single dragon Dovah volunteered and sacrificed himself to…record the memory and spirit of the Dovah into a single scale. That Scale was given to the last known human Dovah for safekeeping. It was hoped that this final gift of the Dovah would be used to fight off the Darkness and bring back at least the memory and the teachings of the Dovah. It didn't go exactly as planned." The woman sighed as she tiredly leaned on her staff, "This last human Dovah was killed by the Darkness shortly afterwards. He had placed the Scale onto his sword, which as per the custom of the times, was buried with him and there the Scale slept."

"Until it was dug up at an archeology dig…you are from Earth, "said He-Man as he figured something out.

"Now you know my secret, your Highness, "said dragon warrior, "As I know yours."

The Sorceress stood and quickly tried to cast the spell of forgetfulness on the woman. "Spaan Hadrim!" Spoke the Dovahzii before the spell could be completed. The Sorceress looked dismayed as she fell back onto her throne.

"Now that was completely unnecessary, "growled the Dovahzii as she glared at the Sorceress, "I have absolutely no intention of telling anyone or use his secret. And I allowed him to figure out mine in all fairness! In return I would thank you NOT to meddle around with my mind." The woman sighed sadly and added tiredly as she turned to leave, "I get enough of that already. If you want to speak with me, He-Man, I'll see Adam back at the palace."

**(Scene Change: Royal Palace, Library)  
**  
Althea sighed as she flopped down onto a comfortable looking chair that faced towards a large window. She leaned back and closed her eyes to consider what happened today.

": Well, that went over rather well:" said the voice.

Althea thought back to the voice, "Oh shut up! You are the one that did most of the talking."

The feel of a sigh and the voice said, ": I did not mean to … :"

"Look, I know what you doing is for the greater good, "Althea sent, "But can you now give me a little time to get use to it all? It's not like I'm going to get to Earth anytime soon and I need to find someone to teach me at least the basics of magic. That Sorceress could have been the perfect teacher, but now…I think we burned that bridge."

": Why do you need a teacher? I can..:"

"You know the Voice and dragon magic, "Althea interrupted, "I have human magic, which I have no idea how to control beyond the instinctive level. Frankly I'm surprised you were able to help me bring up that shield."

": You are correct. I have never heard of a human Dovah that also had human magic and in my pride I forgot that it is not the same:"

A throat being cleared pulled Althea from the inner conversation and brought her attention to the nervous looking prince sitting on a chair not far from hers.

"Hello, Adam, "said Althea with a raised brow.

"Sorry about what the Sorceress tried to do earlier, "Adam said as he leaned forward and grasped his two hands together, "Due to her position, she is sometimes a little over-protective."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Adam, "Althea said with a half-smile, "It wasn't you trying to mess with my mind. I am happy to see that you are now hiding your sword better."

Adam laughed nervously and said, "Huh..yeah."

"Look, I have no interest in that power that I saw in that old castle and you can tell the Sorceress that, "said Althea frankly, "It's way too 'bright' for me in there so 'bright' it was almost painful. Until I have better control over my more human magical abilities, I rather not go inside that place at all."

**(Scene Change: Snake Mountain)**

"We had He-Man just where I wanted him!" Yelled Skeletor as his eyes flared as he sat on his throne, "Who was that strange woman?! "

Evil-Lyn smirked as she considered telling Skeletor what she knew, when his next words quickly made up her mind. "Evil-Lyn,"said Skeletor in a sly voice, "You call that female 'Dovah.' Who or what is this Dovah?"

Evil-Lyn crossed her arms and said, "The Dovah is a long extinct breed of dragon that I read about in some old scrolls. The woman seemed to be one of those special warriors, also called Dovah, which the dragons trained in their special magic. It was that unique magic that the woman used to knock Beastman around."

"Hey!" spat Beastman, "She didn't knock me around!"

"Tell me more, "said the now very interested Skeletor.

**To be continued….**


	3. Those Left Behind

**Note:** Sorry this took so long, but for some reason what I had planned for this chapter refused to be written and what I planned to happen later in the story seemed to have stood up screaming 'WRITE ME!' I fought and fought, but lost the fight. (sigh) What made it worse; I hadn't finish creating some of the characters yet, so I had to take time to flesh them out some.

**Chapter Three: Those Left Behind**

_Previously on Earth's Magic:_

_Devon (in his human form) turned to leave, but stopped when Althea said, "If I hear you are taking your frustrations out on the students, again, I will report you. After all, this worthless, little freak's word is considered more valuable than yours."_

_"We shall see, Ms. Althea Strom just how valuable you are, "he sneered as he walked out._

**(Earth, European Dig Site)**

The overcast morning sky seemed to mirror the mood of the dig team, as they attempted to clean up the mess left behind by the attack. One student was removing the police tape as others were going through the damaged crates.

The sound of an approaching air-car caused a few of them to look up. One of those that looked up was the man in charge, Professor Miles. Seeing the air-car bearing the Earth Military Alliance emblem approach and then land, the professor said, "This is not good."

Wiping his forehead, Jack walked up next to the professor and asked, "What's the Military Alliance doing here? Didn't they finish going over the place yesterday?"

The air-car's door opened. A man with grey streaked black hair and wearing a naval-style service uniform stepped out. He turned to reveal a large scar on the left side of his face and his eagle insignias  
"Oh crap…"said Jack, "What the hell is Captain Marshall doing here?!"

"Go back and get the other's together, "ordered the instructor, "Wait by the tent."

Jack was more than happy to get away from the angry looking war hero and raced off to follow orders.

The professor walked over and held out his hand to greet the captain with a handshake, "Captain Marshall."

The captain ignored the professor's hand and with a cold glare said, "Where is Althea?"

"Sir, I … don't know"

"I left my niece in your care, "he said, his icy blue eyes not blinking once,"What happened?"

Miles sighed and then indicated for the captain to walk with him. "I'm assuming you already met with the investigators. From what I understand, Horde soldier's attacked the site. Strangely they took only one thing, a broken sword. During the attack there was an explosion and one of the attacker's was seriously injured. His 'friends' left him behind to be captured. At first I thought they also took Althea, but from what I understand the captured Horde agent was extremely upset about your niece getting away. Blaming her for the explosion."

"Yes, I know that. He is still being interrogated as we speak, "said Captain Steve Marshall as they walked towards where the tower once stood, "Is this the place?"

"This is where the tower was and now that it is completely gone, we can see that there was a hidden chamber underneath it."

The captain closed his eyes and stated, "But no human remains."

The professor considered his next words carefully. "As you know, one of the reasons why we chose this place was the local legends that spoke of warriors with magical abilities and weapons. Many of the stories mention of a doorway to another world that was used by some sort of dragon cult, "said Professor Miles with a half-shrug, "I didn't bring this up with the investigators since it's not really something that's easily believed. We wouldn't have bothered starting a dig site here, but with magic being proven real and Althea seeing traces of it all over the place…"

The captain's eyes lit up and a small half smile appeared, "I've seen these 'doorways' in action. The Horde calls them dimensional portals. I would like to see this hidden chamber up close."

About an hour later, the captain turned on his safety helmet's light and looked around the room. Ignoring the sound of falling rubble, he saw bits and pieces of stone statues in the dim light. A stone horn here, a scorched stone sword grip there. They were all against the walls and most bunched up against the wall closest to the entrance, as if something forcibly shoved them. When he reached the end of the hall, he found the burnt and broken remains of the portal's frame. The stone work appeared molten and distorted, but above it still remained the cracked carving of a stone keep with two moons above it. The war hero pulled out a digital camera and took snap shot of the carving.

**(Earth Military Alliance Naval Research Facility, that afternoon)**

Two guards saluted as Captain Marshall walked through doorway. The door closed behind him with the hiss of an air tight seal. At the far end of the room were the remains of six damage Horde vehicles, each in different stages of being taken apart. Nearby were work tables filled with bits and pieces of the vehicles, each being closely examined by researchers and their assistants. The captain ignored this having seen this or something similar every day since the war. He was looking for something more on the software side.

A young woman with spiky bronze colored hair wearing more than recommended red and gold makeup was spinning in her old style desk chair, snapping on some gum. "Susan, "the captain said with a stern tone.

"Hey Stevie!" the girl said as she waved and stop spinning, "Whatcha got for me?"

"I need to know if there is anything in the Horde records we got, that might tell us what this means,"he answered holding up a camera's memory card.

With a tilt of her head and a big smile, Susan took the memory card and inserted into her steampunk styled computer. A single, detailed image of the carving appeared on her monitor. The captain leaned a little closer and said in a low voice, "Let's just keep this between the two of us for right now. "

The girl nodded with a knowing smirk. "This may take a few minutes. The old…"the computer sounded off like a steam whistle and the girl's eyebrows' rose, "That was faster than expected." A few keystrokes later and the girl said, "Well this is in…ter…est…ing. It's a marker showing where a permanent portal goes. This one supposedly goes to some place on a planet called Eternia. Now that's a planet I read about a few times."

"Sounds familiar, "said Marshall with a thoughtful tone.

The girl turned around to look straight at the captain and said, "It should! Remember when that junkoid asteroid nearly hit? Major Steele and Colonel Blaze nearly screwed up, crashing on Eternia. The Eternian's helped them out saving Earth, and…"

With a raised brow, the Marshall asked, "Have you been digging around classified files again?"

"Not since ya caught me. Read about it before you made me a model citizen, "she said with a not so innocent smile and using her hands to indicate a halo over her head, "But I have also read about 'em in the Horde records. Seems like these Eternian's kicked their butts about twenty or so years ago and the plan was to use Earth's resources to take em on again."

"Hmmm and a large portal to Eternia could have been a valuable way to sneak forces onto that world, " Marshall mused scratching his five o'clock shadow, "Find all you can on this Eternia. Use my authority if you have to, but don't mention that it's related to Althea's disappearance. If anyone asks, say that I'm looking for possible allies against the Horde."

As the Captain walked away, the girl cracked her fingers and then started typing away.

**(Earth Military Alliance Hospital, prisoner ward)**

The demonic looking Devon sneered as the orderly brought him his meal. Most of his body and half his face were covered in bandages, and he still radiated 'danger' in spite of being strapped to the bed. Instead of sweating in fear like last time, the orderly winked with an evil smile. Devon's sneer turned in to a smirk as his hand and leg cuffs were released.

The orderly's form melted away to reveal a younger, female version of Devon wearing a skin tight cat suit with metal studs on the shoulders and a barbed whip rested on her hip. The female helped Devon off the bed and handed him a bottle containing a foul looking liquid. "Master Devon, "said the female as she knelt down, "I am yours to command."

Devon swallowed the potion in one gulp and shook as the painful but healing qualities of the potion set in. His eyes flared as he summoned his armor and then ordered coldly, "Make me a path out of here, Lillian. A bloody one."

**(Earth Military Alliance Naval Research Facility, Captain Steve Marshall's office)**

Marshall sat down at his desk with a mournful sigh. Glancing up once to verify that the door was closed, he tiredly rubbed his eyes with one hand as he picked up the one personal picture on his desk. It was a rare photo of him in civilian clothes getting ready to take 8 year old Althea to a base Halloween party. She was dressed up as Indian Jones, complete with a 'crystal' skull candy bucket. This was one of the first happy moments they shared since his sister and brother-in-law, Althea's parents, died in a terrorist attack a year earlier. The woman he hired to help keep an eye on Althea and run the house insisted on taking the photo. The now older and hopefully wiser sailor could never thank that batty old broad enough for it.

With a sad smile he put the picture back in its place and picked up the wrapped gift that was placed next to it. Althea left it with him before leaving off for Europe, asking him to wait until his birthday to open it. His birthday came and went a week ago, but it completely slipped his mind until now. He carefully removed the wrapping paper and opened the small box. Inside was a note on top a flat piece of a smoothed, grey striped stone with an upward pointed arrow engraved on it. It was about the size of one of his dog tags and even had a hole on one end to indicate it was to be worn.

Placing the box down, he opened up the note and read:

_Hey Steve,_

_Sorry I'm going to miss your birthday this year, but I guess it's my turn to be away on assignment._

_Anyways, I found this in one of those boxes the university had me go through to keep me busy so I didn't go stir-crazy while recovering. When I 'saw' it was the real thing, I tried to tell the guy in charge of the stuff. He said it was from one of those rune stone sets the role players use and actually told me to toss it. I didn't even get the chance to tell him what I 'saw' in it._

_This thing has a serious protective aura on it. So next time you're out saving the world, wear it for me. Ok?_

_Love,_  
_Althea_

Marshall took off his dog tags. Then with a small smile and glistening eyes, added the strange stone to the chain. Every little bit helps after all.

**(Susan's work station)**

Susan nearly jumped out of her chair when the alarms went off. Recovering quickly, she started typing away at her keyboard. Security camera videos popped up, one after another. "No no no no…"she muttered before calling out "CAPTAIN!"

She quickly put on her metallic looking headphones and hit a button, "The Horde agent Devon is escaping the prison ward! All available units to the Military Alliance Hospital...he is to be considered extremely dangerous…"

**(Hospital)**

Walking towards the landing air cruiser, Devon ignored the gunfire as Lillian sent blasts of black flame towards the men and women attempting to stop him. "Come, my dear, "he said, "Stop playing with the rabble. It's time to go."

Lillian smirked and used her whip to send out a large wave of the black flames to strike down the soldiers and guards before stepping into the cruiser. As the cruiser flew off, a familiar air-car appeared and fired on it.

Looking at a monitor, Lillian said, "Its Steve Marshall, my lord."

Devon leaned back into his chair and ordered, "Get rid of him."

The Horde soldier piloting the cruiser objected, "Sir, Horde Command has…"

Devon's eyes flared.

The soldier gulped and then proceeded to use the cruiser's rear guns to fire at the Alliance air-car.

Steve Marshall dove to avoid the blast and then angled to get in position to fire again. Only this time two smaller Horde open cockpit fighters appeared and fired on him. He dodged the first few blasts, but one landed and took out his engine. The air-car went down, with a trail of smoke behind it.

"At least that one nuisance out of the way, "grumbled Devon as the Horde air cruiser and its support flew off, not bothering to verify the kill.

Marshall fought his air-car controls all the way down to no avail. The vehicle crashed at a shallow angle on an abandoned stretch of road and slid across the broken black-top, eventually coming to a stop. The door popped open as Marshall took off his seat belt. Stumbling out, he quickly got away from the smoking wreck. Seconds later, the car exploded knocking the captain to the ground.

With a groan, Marshall got up and dusted himself off. "Note to self, "he said hearing the sounds of a helicopter coming in close, "Next time you take on a Horde air cruiser, do it in a fighter."

**(A little later and back at the hospital)**

A medical support helicopter landed and the side doors slide open. Marshall jumped out and moved out of the way to give the medics room to work. Once he was far enough away from the noise, he activated his communicator and rung up Susan. "Report, "was all he said. Susan reported that the Horde aircraft had escaped but everyone was on high alert. The Military Alliance Council was demanding answers but she was having fun so far making up different ways to tell them to shut up in a polite or civil way. "Have someone send me a car, will you. As for council, what else is there to tell them? Devon escaped and we now have definite proof that the Horde is still interested in Earth. If they want the details, they can read about it when I finish filing my report. If they continue bothering you, hang up on them. That's an order."

The captain closed up his communicator and looked around hoping to see who ever was in charge. He took a deep breath seeing that Admiral Kang walking marching towards him. Captain Marshall saluted the two star admiral with a "Sir."

The admiral returned the salute and said, "I heard you had a bit of an adventure."

"Nothing new, "Marshall replied, "I tried to stop the Horde air cruiser, but it had support."

The admiral's eyes narrowed, "I heard that your air-car was totaled. The pilot that flew you in mentioned over the radio that he was amazed you survived the crash and without a scratch."

"Don't see why, "Marshall said with a smile, "I've survived worse."

The admiral shook his head with a sigh and then said, "Walk with me."

The two walked towards past the rubble to a pair of recently planted trees that somehow survived untouched. "I don't like this, Marshall, "said Kang, "It's been almost a year since the war and now this. We are not ready for another invasion."

"I don't think they are either, "said Marshall, "Otherwise they wouldn't be bothering with all this cloak and dagger crap."

"We don't need guess work, we …"

Marshall interrupted and said, "What if I told you I might have found possible allies against the Horde. One with a proven track record in regards to fighting them. "

Admiral Kang turned to look at Marshall and said, "This wouldn't have anything to do with your pet hacker going through classified pre-war records would it?"

"Actually, it does, "Marshall answered, "Digging through the files acquired from the captured Horde ships, has recently brought up an interesting bit of info. A world called Eternia was able to fight off the Horde and hit them so hard that the Horde has left them alone for decades. The same world a pair of astronauts …huh…visited shortly before the war. From what little I heard, most of the Eternians and the ruling family were actually quite friendly. Even helpful."

Admiral Kang got a thoughtful look and then asked, "I assume you are going to ask the council for permission and support to go to this Eternia?"

With a shrug, Marshal said, "Who else has as much experience with dealing with aliens? During the war, I fought against and alongside some of the strangest beings you can image and a few you can't. I know for a fact that the Horde is hated and feared throughout the galaxy and perhaps beyond. The trick is to get those people who are willing and able to stand up against Horde to work together. This Eternia could be the first step, beyond Earth, to do this."

"Why do I have a feeling you watched way too much science fiction when you were growing up?" sighed the admiral. Then he looked towards the now ruined hospital and said, "When your findings are ready, send me a copy and I'll see about backing your request. If nothing else, I'll get part of your research team's budget when you are lost in space."

**(Horde Mother Ship, 'Deathblaze')**

Lillian stood next to and just behind the seated Devon as a cloaked figured finished his report and then quickly left. "So the infamous Steve Marshall has survived and now has plans to leave Earth to see if Eternia is willing to work with the Earthlings. Why do I have a feeling that is only part of the reason he is going there, "He took a sip of his blood red drink. Scratching the scarred side of his face, Devon told Lillian, "Please be a dear and see if there is any connection between Steve Marshall and Althea Strom."

Lillian smiled as she turned and picked up a file that was on the table behind her. "There is no need to look, "she said as she handed over the folder to Devon, "All that is to be known can be found in this file."

Devon open the folder and one of the first things he sees is a photo of a 8 year Althea in a Halloween costume and Steve Marshall in civilian clothing.

**To be continued….**


	4. Memory Projector

**Note**: Thanks for the reviews!

I plan on this story being relatively short as compared to my other attempts at fanfiction to help ensure that I do finish this one. Hopefully once I get back into practice of writing again, I'll be able to go back and finish off some of my old stuff. (Fingers crossed)

As for sounding a little like Skyrim, that is where I'm getting some of my inspiration from. If you look really close, you might see some hits of another popular video game. Kudos if you guess which one.

As for all the OCs, sorry about that but it's kinda hard to bring in a full sense of what's happening on Earth in the He-Man universe without a handful or two of them. Since I'm not familiar with the He-Man/DC universe, I'm not going to even consider including it.

The request for Althea being grilled by the Queen…has partially been filled.

**Chapter Four: Memory Projector **

**(Man at Arms' workshop) **

Man at Arms was hammering a bent piece of metal as he said, "I can't believe you told her that you are…"

Holding down the piece of metal, Adam said, "I DIDN'T tell her anything, she figured it out all on her own. "

Man at Arms quit hammering to wipe the sweat off of his forehead and sighed, "Well, just be careful. We don't really know anything about her, except that she CLAIMS to be from Earth."

One of Adam's eyebrows went up as he said, "If she was going to do anything, she wouldn't have told me that she found me out or gave me her secret."

"Hmmm, true, "said Duncan, "But I don't like how this spirit of hers was able to so easily block the Sorceress' spell."

**(Palace Hallway)**

Orko and Cringer peeked around a corner to watch Queen Marlena talking with Althea as the two women walked down the hall. The Queen laughed at something Althea said just before heading off to the throne room as Althea opened the library door.

Orko asked, "You sure about Man at Arms saying about not trusting her?"

"P-positive, "said Cringer, "Heard him talking with Adam about her."

"Dunno, why, "Orko shrugged, "she seems nice enough. The Queen really likes her."

"In that case, "said Cringer with a yawn, "I'm going back to my nap."

Orko grabbed the tiger by the tail and said, "But if Man at Arms is concerned, we should keep an eye on her."

"It's not nice to spy on people, "Cringer protested as he was pulled along, "Plus she can get real sc-c-cary."

"Even more reason to keep an eye on her, "insisted Orko dragging Cringer down the hall.

**(Royal Library)**

One of the royal librarians opened the door to a dark room and turned on the lights. "Here you go, my lady, "she said as she stepped aside to let Althea pass, "Here's the room where most of the texts on magic is kept. We ask that you lock the room if you leave because some of what is written could be dangerous in careless hands."

"Of course, "said Althea mentally thanking the Queen once more for giving her permission to check this section of the library's restricted area, "Thank you for your help."

With a small bow the librarian left as Althea placed a stack of blank papers and some pens on the single table in the small room. She left the door open in the hopes of clearing out some of the stuffy smell and to prevent that closed in feeling.

"Oookay, "Althea said as she scratched the back of her head, "Where do I start?"

She starting looking over the books, hoping to get some idea where to start based off of the titles. Noticing that only a few had titles written on the bindings or covers, Althea sighed. What was worse was the scrolls she noticed bunched together on the top shelves.

While she was doing this, Orko peeked in and whispered, "Restricted area, hey…What could she possibly want in there?"

"Come on Orko, "said Cringer taking Trollan's attention away from the room, "I don't feel right being here. Let's go someplace else."

"No Cring, "said Orko crossing his arms, "We are going to stay right here."

Althea stepped right up behind the Trollan and asked, "Could one of you go ask the librarian if there is a catalog or listing of books for this room, please? I forgot to ask on my way in."

Cringer ducked as Orko flew upward with a startled "EEP!" The Trollan bounced off the ceiling and crashed into a bookcase. The bookcase fell over, falling onto the next book case. Then like falling dominoes, the bookshelves fell one by one in a row unit the last one hit the ground with a 'boom'.

"Oh oh, "said Orko covering his eyes.

Althea sighed and returned the book she was holding to its shelf. She turned off the light and locked the door behind her.

An angry looking librarian walked over to a very sorry Orko and just when she was about to scold the Trollan, Althea spoke up to say, "It was partially my fault. I shouldn't have startled him like that. If you could find someone to help get the bookcases up right, I'll help with the clean up."

A few hours later, Althea was sitting on the ground organizing stacks of books when the sound of a growling stomach made her giggle. "If you're hungry, Cringer, you can take a break and come back later, "said Althea, still trying to get use to talking a green tiger.

Cringer dropped a book he was carrying in his month onto one of the smaller stacks next to Althea. "I wish, "said Cringer, "But if Man at Arms or the king found out…"

"I think they would understand you had nothing to do with this, "said Orko carrying some books as well, and "It was me that knocked over the bookcase. You were just…there."

"So this is where everyone is hiding, "said Adam as he walked into the library. Looking around he said, "What happened?"

Althea, Cringer and Orko all said at the same time, "You don't want to know."

Althea covered her mouth to stop the laughter from escaping. Then with a loud sigh, Althea picked up her cane and started to pull herself up off the floor.

"Here, let me help, "said Adam offering her his hand.

She took his hand and after being pulled up said, "Thanks." She then stretched and asked, "What time is it anyways?"

"Mid-afternoon, "answered Adam, "You all missed lunch."

"Aw man, "said Cringer, "No wonder I'm hungry."

"Sorry, Cring, "said Adam, "And there is no time for a snack. He-man is needed."

"Anything I can do to help?" offered Althea.

"Well…you see…"said Adam uncomfortably.

"Man at Arms doesn't trust me, "said Althea with a smile, "And he shouldn't. It's his job after all. Actually, I'm amazed how much free reign I have here just based off of me being from Earth."

"Thanks for understanding, "said Adam obviously relieved.

"Go, "said Althea, "If no one else shows up back here, I'll tell Teela you were here and helped me out as we cleaned up the place."

**(Early evening, Palace hallway) **

"Well that took long enough, "said Althea walking down the hallway.

Orko flew past her and then turn around to say, "At least we got done in time for dinner. "

As the two of them neared the dining room, they saw Man at Arms waiting by the door with his arms crossed. Seeing this Althea asked, "Why do I feel like I about to be grounded?"

"Ms. Strom, I need to speak with you, "said Man at Arms and then sent Orko a glare, "In private."

"Sure thing Man at Arms, "said Orko with a wave as he left.

Althea asked, "Is there a problem?"

"You could say that, "replied Duncan, "What are you plans?"

"You mean aside from getting something to eat, "said Althea, "I hope to learn at least the basics of magic and then find a way back home. With a least these basics, I can help with figuring out ways to safely find uses for the re-awaking magic."

"For power?"

"Earth needs it magic. Not only to help fight off the Horde, but to continue to grow. Earth has almost suffocated under what we have done with technology. If magic can be used so we don't have to use so much tech…"Althea paused, "It's difficult to truly describe what I mean. If I could only show you…"

"Actually that's marvelous idea, "said Queen Marlena walking up behind them.

"Your Majesty, "said Man at Arms.

"We have a device called a Memory Projector, "said the Queen, "You can use it to show us what Earth is now like. I'm especially curious."

"Hmmm, "though Duncan, "Actually that's not a bad idea. The memory projector can only show what one truly remembers. It can't show false memories."

"Does it show all my memories, "asked Althea, "Because I was a college kid and there is definitely some stuff I don't anyone to see."

"No, "answered Man at Arms, "Only the ones you are thinking about."

"Good, "said the Queen, "We can all meet after dinner."

**(After Dinner) **

": Is this a wise decision? :" asked the dragon spirit as Althea followed the Queen and Man at Arms to the room where the Memory Projector was kept. ": We don't truly know what this projector does:"

'I don't like having a machine strapped to my brain any more than you do, 'Althea thought back, 'It's bad enough having you see all my memories and messing around with my mind, but at least with this I'm having a say in the matter….not like last time.'

": I do not 'mess around' with your mind:" the spirit said a sigh, ": I take over only when you allow it and when needed. As you learn to use your Dovah abilities, the less this will happen. Eventually, you will be able to pass me on to another Dovah to train:"

'Sorry, I know you are having the worse of it, 'Althea sent, 'I'm just nervous, I guess.'

The small group entered what looked to be a small theater room and Duncan indicated that Althea should sit next to what she assumed to be the Memory Projector. However, it was the Queen that help place the headband on her and explained what to do. "I use this quite often to show Adam about the Earth as I remember it, "reassured the Queen, "You actually have to concentrate on the memory a little so that the machine picks it up."

"Okay, "said Althea, "So I just think about a memory?"

"That's correct, "said the Queen, "If you want to test it, think about something minor. Like a birthday party or a holiday."

Althea thought for a second and then grinned. Loud marching band music filled the room as an announcer called out "TOUCH DOWN!" The image of a large crowd wearing burnt orange and white filled the screen as their cheers filled the room. The crowd settled down to reveal a college football field. Longhorns were playing against the Raiders.

The image turned to show a bronze haired woman wearing orange and white makeup. "Isn't this AWESOME, Thea!" said Susan on the screen.

The Queen chuckled and said, "Nice to know that some traditions are still there. So you are a Longhorn's fan?"

"To be honest, I was literally dragged to the game by my friend, Susan, "Althea said, shaking her head, "She insisted I needed to get out show some support for the home team." The screen went dark and Althea asked, "Is there anything specific you want to see?"

"You went to school in Austin, "mused the Queen, "Can you show me some scenes of city."

Althea seemed to consider the Queen's request as if debating something. Then with a nod, concentrated and the Texas State Capital building appeared on the screen as seen from highway. Surrounded by trees, the domed building looked peaceful. An air-car could be seen flying in and landing not far from it.

The Queen asked, "What was that?"

"The air-car?" asked Althea as the image changed to show a dark blue and white air-car with the Earth Military Alliance emblem on the side, "Yeah they're relatively new. Started coming out on the market about … three, maybe four years ago. So far only the government, military and the wealthy seem to have them. Everyone else is still using the roads."

At that thought, the song 'Born to be Wild' filled the air and the image changed to a view from the back seat of a car. Two teenage girls sat in the front, with one increasing the volume on the radio. The driver said, 'This is the perfect song for this trip.' Althea voice could be heard saying, 'You know if Steve finds out we are soooo gonna be in trouble.' The two in the front just started singing along with the old song.

The screen went dark as Althea started tapping a finger on the armrest. Then she sighed as new images appeared. The first was that of a large shopping center, the next was from a city street with wires crossing the sky barely allowing light through, another image of protestors chanting, news reports from about two years ago including problems in the Middle East and a storm warning. A concert in a park with fireworks going on in the background, funny cat videos, the Blue Angels flying over and a high school graduation ceremony.

The Queen asked questions about things that interested her, usually the new technology she was seeing and some of the news events. After a while, Duncan asked, "These are all pre-war memories, aren't they? What of the attack itself?"

""I figured it might be a good idea to show what Earth looked like to me before the attacks," Althea answered.

The image went dark for a few seconds then lit up showing a view of an Archeology textbook page and the sound of writing could be heard in the silence. The view went up to show a large library and a few other students also reading or typing on computers. The view went back to the textbook just before the first explosion shook the building. The view quickly shifted to one from under the table as bits of ceiling fell. A cell phone came into view, but it showed 'No Service' on the screen. A few choice words were heard as the phone disappeared.

There was another explosion, farther away but this time followed by the sound of jets flying past the building. More choice words and the image shifted as the person crawled out from under the table and started making her way to the nearest Exit.

The door opened to reveal white armored soldiers wearing the Horde symbol marching past with a large tank like vehicle following them. With a quiet gasp, the image abruptly moved as she moved to hide behind the door. Footsteps could be heard as two soldiers approached the door she was hiding behind.

"Don't bother, "came a voice as a mechanical sound was heard, "We are not here to capture slaves today. It's a pure destroy all mission."

A loud boom and the image went dark.

"The only reason why I'm alive is that they were messy or I was extremely lucky. I ended up in a space created by the damaged doorframe and one leg trapped under what I thought was a ton of rubble." The screen showed what she described with minimum light and the sound of screaming filled the air. Some of the rubble moved as a voice was heard saying, "Over here! Found one! Hold on, we'll get you out of there. GOD DAMN IT, someone get some help over here!"

Althea pulled off the headband and said in a shaky voice as she got up, "I'm sorry, I need some fresh air."

After Althea hurriedly limped out of the room, the Queen glared at Man at Arms to say, "Are you happy now?!"

"I...I...don't know what to...,"stuttered Duncan.

**(Outside)**

Althea made it to a patio overlooking one of the gardens. Taking a few deep breaths, she eventually calmed down. She slammed her palm on the railing as she said, "I thought I was over that already."

": When have you had the chance to truly face what happened? :" the spirit gently asked, ": When you were recovering, there were those no doubt worse off than you so the healers concentrated on them. When you ability to see magic was discovered, you were pushed to concentrate on looking for magical items with little or no time to even talk to someone about what happened. Am I correct? :"

Althea sighed, "So you saying this is actually a good thing for me to be going through. Talking about the attack, what happened."

": One must face one's fears, but usually it is best done with someone you can trust:" said the dragon spirit, ": For this fear, it is also best if it is someone you can see and hold on to if needed:"

"That's most likely gonna have to wait until we get back home, "Althea sighed.

**(Back in the Memory Projector room) **

"I can't believe you….How could…UGGGGGGG! "growled the Queen, too angry to talk.

"Your Majesty, "said Man at Arms trying to calm the Queen down, "Please understand, I only had the royal family's safety in mind."

"What's going on?" asked Althea as she returned.

The Queen turned and said, "I'm so sorry, we shouldn't have…"

"It's alright, "said Althea as she sat down next to the projector, "I kinda need to talk about it anyways, you know. The timing is just not right and seeing it…" Althea picked up the projector's headband considering what to do next.

"You don't have to…"said the Queen sitting next to her, gently placing a hand on Althea's arm.

"Actually, "she said, glancing over at Man at Arms and the back at the Queen, "Now that I think about it there are a few things you should see. I have a feeling Earth is going to need all the help it can get and soon." Althea placed the headband on once more and the view of a room filled with injured in beds appeared. Muffled sounds of crying and people in pain appeared.

"Where is she?" came the worried voice of Steve Marshall. "She's over by the wall, Commander, "said a tired, female voice. After a few moments an exhausted Steven Marshall, wearing the silver leaf pins, walked into view. He pulled up a large white bucket and sat on it as he said, "Hey"

"Hey, Steve, " Althea voice replied as the view changed slightly as her head was turned, "Mind telling what's going on, or it is classified?"

Marshall snorted and said, "I don't think anyone can keep secret about what's happening. Earth has been invaded by aliens. God, that sounds like a line from a bad science fiction movie." He took a deep breath to continue, "Right now many government heads are either missing or dead, the few that are still around are trying to calm the general public of their respective countries while anyone else that can hold a gun is being drafted to fight the aliens off."

A humorless 'hah' and then Althea' voice said, "And here I am with a busted up leg, just taking up space."

"Don't say that, "said Steve firmly, "To be honest, I rather have you here safe than out on the front lines. Especially after some of the stuff I've seen. I know it's selfish, but that's how I feel. Some of these alien's have…powers. I saw one say a few words and the next second rows of armed vehicles went flying. Another one just laughed as he sent flames from his bare hands into a group of people trying to escape."

The scene changed to one of room filled with people evacuating the field hospital as alarms filled the air. A glance downward showed a pair of legs in old, faded jeans in a wheelchair racing across the floor. One off pant legs was cut off to make room for a cast. Looking up again showed a guy with a bandage over his eye reach over to pull the viewer up and then the sound of the wheelchair being kicked to the side as they made their ways with the group down a flight of stairs. Emergency lights lit the way as the sound of thick doors closing up firmly behind them. Rows of large shelves filled with dusty crates and covered statues filled the screen. A faint glow or reflection could be seen coming off some of the items.

Sitting next to the Queen, Althea snorted and said, "What do you know, this thing actual shows what I see when 'seeing' magic."

The scene continued with people trying to find the safest places to place the more seriously injured. The on screen Althea seemed to have been place next to items from ancient Greece. Bits of marble statue and bronze armor on stands came into view. A large flat item appears to radiate scaly, gray aura, through its think covering. Althea's hand reach over pull aside some of the old fabric to reveal a portion of an old, bronze shield that despite its age had an almost mirror finish in places.

Althea sitting next to the Queen, chuckled as she said, "I was so lucky I didn't uncover the whole thing."

"Why?" asked Man at Arms.

"There's an old myth about a mirrored shield used by a hero to kill the gorgon called Medusa. This gorgon was cursed with the power to turn anyone who looked at her directly at her into stone. Somehow, while the hero use the shield to see Medusa indirectly in order to kill her, caused the gorgon's image and some of her power to be burned into that shield. The hero gave the shield to the goddess Athena as thanks for her help. Stories vary, but some say that the shield had the power to turn all that saw Medusa's burnt in image to stone as well, "said Althea and just before continuing the scene added, "For the lack of a better explanation I 'saw' that the shield has something to do with stone and snakes."

The scene continued as a dark red light appeared out of the corner of Altheas eye and sound of the door being blasted open could be heard. "So this is where all the mice are hiding, "came a hissing sounding voice. Looking between the artifacts, Horde soldiers led by a hooded woman with red scaled hands could be seen. The woman herself had an evil looking aura about her. Altheas hands reached over to grab the shield, as the woman hissed, "Surrender now, and we may find a use for some of you in the Horde."

The woman and soldiers walked into the row where Althea was hiding. One of the soldiers lifted up a weapon as Althea lifted up the shield. A hand pulled off the shield's old covering and Althea said, "Hell no."

The woman hissed in panic just before she and her soldier's were all turned to stone.

The image stopped. "I don't want to even try to guess how many times that shield saw battle after the Army got hold of it. I just pray they were careful with it and have locked it up in a very secure location. Hmph! It's probably crated up right next to the Ark of the Covenant in some warehouse by now, "said Althea, "I'm not going to bother showing you the debriefing or interrogation I went through afterwards, but I will say I was put right to work looking for other possible magical items that could be used against the Horde."

The scene changed once more, but this time of people cheering in the streets among the rubble and burnt out vehicles. Announcements of the war being over could be heard over the roar of the crowd. The view moved to the side and upward to show an older looking, scarred Steve Marshall now wearing silver eagle pins. "It's not really over is it, "asked Althea and Marshalls only reply was a sad shake of his head.

**To be continued…**


	5. Old Dragon

**Note: **This one may seem a little shorter than some of the previous chapters, but didn't want to make it any worse by adding stuff. Plus, I kinda like how this chapter ended.

**Chapter 5: Old Dragon**

_Previously on Earth's Magic:_

_Admiral Kang got a thoughtful look and then asked, "I assume you [Steve Marshall] are going to ask the council for permission and support to go to this Eternia?"_

_[Althea's voice] "I need to find someone to teach me at least the basics of magic. That Sorceress could have been the perfect teacher, but now…I think we burned that bridge."_

**(Skies of Eternia) **

"You sure you don't want to ride, "said He-Man from the Wind Raider.

Dovahzii laughed as she flew over, under and around the vehicle. Then said, "If you suddenly had your own set of wings…would you?"

"I guess not, "He-man replied with laugh.

"You certain this Granamyr will be able to help me out?" she asked a little more seriously, "He's a dragon and I need to learn how to use magic as a human would."

"Granamyr has forgotten more about magic that most wizards ever learn in a lifetime, "answered He-Man, "His knowledge is not limited to that only of dragons but from many races. The question is will he help."

**(A little later at Darksmoke)**

"Drem yol lok, jul Dovah, "said the ancient dragon, Granamyr, seated in his chambers, "Hio drun zin wah daar brod."

"Drem kruziik gein, "Dovahzii replied with a small bow, "Faal zin losmaar."

The old dragon brought his head down to take a closer look at the woman and said, "It's been ages since I've spoken with one the Dovah." A few sniffs and he continued, "I smell the dust of Earth, the last home of the Dovah, upon you and the smell of human magic within you. Mageborn Dovah was rare, even then. What brings you so far away from your home skies, young Dovah?"

Dovahzii glanced towards He-Man, who nodded in encouragement. "Earth's skies are endangered, "she said, "The Horde has attacked my world. They were driven off but they are still observing us, looking for weakness. Their attacks have also awakened Earth's slumbering magic, including the Spirit of the Dovah."

Granamyr rose up and said, "So the curse that the Darkness cast upon Earth has been broken and by none other than its most vehement followers, ironic. I do understand part of your problem. The magic has returned but there is no one left that has the knowledge or the skill to use or contain it."

"Can you help, "asked He-Man, "We attempted to locate a human mentor for her, but each one we approached had concerns about teaching Eternian methods to control Earth magics. At first we weren't even aware that there was much difference."

"Perhaps, "Granamyr mused.

**(Time passes, a hour later)**

"Your studies in the ancient ways...this archeology…will actually prove as if not more useful as your mage-sight, "mused Granamyr, "The ability to already bring up a shields, even with the help of the Dovah spirit, shows you have great potential. However, you lack the time to truly master what you are missing, focusing you mind for example. You are or soon will be needed on Earth."

"So what do I do, "asked Dovahzii.

"I am willing and able to teach you, but it would require that you remain here for a few days as your true self, not as the Dovahzii, "said the ancient dragon, "I am aware that you wish to keep your identity secret, but in this there is no debate. The human mage needs the training and testing, not the Dovahzii."

Dovahzii frowned as she considered Granamyr's words.

**(Later that day)**

Althea waved as He-Man flew off, the communicator he gave her visible on her wrist. She turned and limped back into the old dragon's lair. She saw a large, old looking desk that wasn't there before, with three books on it. One book had a red cover, the other white and the last one black. "Please make yourself comfortable, "said Granamyr pointing towards the desk, "Then please read aloud any page in the white book."

Althea sat down at the desk and did as her new teacher requested. She was surprised that even if handwritten, it was in modern English and easy to read. "Lei or dragon lines are rivers of mystical energy that only those who have trained their inborn ability are able see and/or use. These rivers can range in size of a small stream barely an inch wide to a raging river with width rivaling the Egyptian Nile at high flood. Where two or more lines meet…"Althea stopped reading when Granamyr, said, "That is enough. Please read a page from the red book."

The girl shrugged as she placed the first book down and then opened up the next one. This one was more of what she expected; old languages and the writing difficult to read due to poor penmanship on the part of the writer. Flipping through the pages, she tried to find readable page in a language she was familiar with. Finding one, she read, "Vocate venti fortunate ex rege Oberonis et hic navis…"

"Are you able to translate or understand what you are reading?" asked the dragon.

"Come, winds safely from the kingdom, "said Althea who hesitated on one word, "or shores of Oberon guide this ship…"

"Impressive, "the dragon said with a grin, "Now try the last book."

Althea wondered if Oberon, Titania and other mythical beings were once real as she picked up the third book. Then the question of how the heck was Earth languages so prevalent on Eternia came to mind. She opened the book and after just one glance at it she had to slam it shut as she looked away. The writing, if it could be called that, was completely unreadable and moved in a way that caused a very serious case of vertigo.

The dragon nodded as if expecting her reaction. "As I thought, "said the old dragon, "You already have the skills needed for well trained apprentice." The dragon took a deep breath, "You are just missing the focus and spells that these beginning magic users are taught. Fortunately, the books prove you can already be trusted with these spells. Keep the books, they are now yours. Copy and study the white, until the red becomes easier to read and understand. The black one you are not attempt to study until the red one is mastered."

"So the books are somehow enchanted, "said Althea, "To only allow a student to be able to read or study what he or she is ready for. Nice."

"That is correct. The books also contain some of the more commonly used spells. Additional spells are best learned from the works of your world for that is where your magics will be called upon the most. Use your archeology to seek out old texts, old writings even old tales of magic. There you will find the arts that once were thought lost to the Darkness."

Althea nodded as she listened and then asked, "What is this 'Darkness'? The Dovah spirit has mentioned it, claiming it was the Darkness that killed off the Dovah."

"You will find the answer to that question in the black book's last few pages, "said Granamyr sounding as if the question brought back old sad memories. He shook his head and then lowered his head and said, "Now to work on your focus. If I'm not mistaken, this will take some time."

**(A few days later on Earth, Montreal Launch Station)**

An air-car flew pass the check point and landed close to a grounded space ship. White and dark blue in color, it was roughly shaped like the much smaller Rainbow Explo but had two sets of mobile wings on each side. Each wing swept back and had its own thruster that added to the ones on the back. Longer and narrower in appearance, it looked much faster than the smaller ships. The name of the ship, _Cu Chulainn_, could be seen in large bold letters on its side.

From inside the ship, a whistle was heard as Captain Steve Marshall boarded. The crew of ten all stood in attention and saluted. "At ease, "the captain said, "As you all know, this is mission is to locate Eternia and determine if the government or governments of that world would be willing to assist us against the Horde. What you may not know, is that we may already have someone there and the Eternians may already be aware of the situation on Earth. Hopefully, this will make things easier for us especially since I don't have much of a reputation for diplomacy. Now report to you stations and prepare for lift off."

As the crew left for their stations, Marshall's communicator went off. Seeing who was calling, he answered it with a sigh, "No you can't go, Susan."

"Come on, Stevie, "whined the girl, "You could put me on communications or even engineering."

"I already have engineers and an experienced person on comm, "said Marshall walking towards the command station, "I need you where you are and performing those little projects I left for you."

At her desk, Susan spun her chair once and then said, "Why me? The whole Alliance is keeping an eye out for the Horde and going over the records of other unexplained attacks is boring."

Marshall's voice came over the computer's speaker, "You haven't checked the last page, have you?"

Rolling her eyes, Susan flipped the memo to the last page. Reading over it, her eyes widened as she started to jump a little in her seat. "You mean I get to design the Bat Cave!?"

Marshall sat down in his command chair and said, "Not the Bat Cave, just a place where the more dangerous artifacts can be stored away safely and where we can fall back to if the worse should happen. The location, and even its existence, is to be secret except for the few people needed to run and guard the place. I need you to start researching what is needed to safely store away items that may include magical versions of unstable hydrogen bombs and start looking into what equipment might be needed."

"You even got me a budget!" squealed Susan.

**(Cloaked Horde Warship)**

An avian looking horde officer sat in a Horde warship's command chair. Similar in appearance to a seagull, minus the beak, he would have looked completely out of place on a Horde vessel if it wasn't for the mechanical eye patch and the cruel look in his remaining eye.

Quietly tapping a talon on the armrest he held his written orders loosely in the other hand. The orders were simple, but there were complications. Lord Devon wanted him to follow the Earth ship, _Cu Chulainn_, and if it appeared that it would actually reached Eternia then destroy it. No prisoners. If this ship did not reach Eternia, it was to be allowed to return back to Earth unharmed.

He did not like the orders one bit. Horde High Command had placed a rather large bounty for the capture of Captain Steve Marshall and they would be most unhappy if he was killed needlessly. Plus if he followed Devon's orders, there would be no slaves, no savage…no profit.

"Commander Aerallo, "said a Horde soldier at the helm, "The _Cu Chulain_ has been sighted."

"Follow it quietly and at a distance, "ordered Aerallo, who then thought, 'Screw Devon. With the capture of Steve Marshal, I'll be in High Command's good graces and richer for it. Just need to make sure we're far enough away so that Devon can't find out until it's too late."

**(Next day on the **_**Cu Chulainn**_**)**

Captain Steve Marshall gently scratched the scar on the side of his face as he double checked the long range scanners. Everything seemed to be running smoothly and nothing was being picked up…but his scar was itching. It always itched when there was Horde close by.

"Sir, "said the navigator, "We are nearing the reported space anomaly's last documented coordinates."

Marshal returned to his chair and ordered, "Everyone strap in. According to the reports this will be a bumpy ride. Helmsman, continue on course."

Silence filled the bridge and as everyone's attention seemed to be on the main monitor. For some time, the main monitor was filled with stars. When some of the younger crew members started to fidget, the monitor lit up with a bright, color-filled light.

Beeping noises filled the air and one crewmember said, "All sensors are going haywire!"

"Controls not responding, "added the helmsman.

Marshall remained calm. Since this was in the astronauts' report, they all expected this to happen and he actually considered it proof that the story given by the two astronauts was accurate. "Steady, "he said, "It should all clear up in a few moments, but prepare for a possible meteor shower."

As the captain predicted, the rainbow colored light eventually cleared and meteors took its place. Alarms went off as Cu Chulain shook with each meteor hit. "Controls back online, "announced the helmsman.

"Then get us out of here, "ordered the captain.

Eventually the ship cleared the meteor shower and the alarms were cut off. Steve pressed a button on his chair's armrest and said, "Engineering, damage re.."

Alarms went off again and the crewman watching the sensor said, "Horde warship detected! Stern, port side."

A choice word followed by "Battle stations! Artillery load all cannons and have the lance charged. Helm…"

**(Horde Warship**)

"They sighted us commander, "said the Horde soldier.

Commander Aerallo grinned as he ordered, "Prepare for battle!"

The sounds of the first two blasts being sent could be heard.

**(Eternia, Man at Arm's workshop)**

A small alarm brought Man at Arms attention to a monitor. Pressing a few buttons brought up an image of a Horde warship firing on another ship of a type he never seen before but looked vaguely familiar.

"By the Ancients, "he said and then turned to leave his lab. Racing down the hall, he passed Adam and Cringe without word. The Prince knowing something must be seriously wrong, followed his mentor.

Man at Arm walked hurriedly into the throne room. Ignoring the insulted looks that the nobles sent him, he bowed before the thrones and said, "Your Majesties, please pardon my interruption but there is an emergency in the making."

Concerned, King Randor said, "Go on."

"A Horde warship has been detected by the warning sensors we launched last year, "said Man at Arms, "The warship is currently attacking another spacecraft of unknown origins but it has looks very similar to the two Earth vessels we have previous seen."

Shocked, the Queen asked, "How far away are they? Is there any way we can lend assistance?"

"They have barely reached the sensors, but if they continue in the same direction they will soon reach Eternia."

The king stood up and announced, "Court is now closed! Unless you are directly involved in the Guard, the Masters or Rescue you are to leave now."

The Queen stood and said to her husband, "I'll go make sure that the doctors are prepared and then join you in the war room."

As the Queen walked off, Man at Arms added, "Sire, Adam needs to go get Althea. If they are from Earth, she may prove useful in calming them down."

"Of course, "the king said, "Adam…"

"Already on my way, Father, "the prince said, "Come on, Cringer."

**(**_**Cu Chulainn**_**)**

"Sir, "said the navigator over the alarms, "We are approaching what appears to be Eternia!"

A blast shook the ship. "Artillery, ready the lance. Helm, move us so we get a clear shot of the Horde but keep Eternia out of the line of fire."

Moments later, a beam of bright yellow light shot from the _Cu Chulainn_ and ripped through the Horde ship's starboard side.

Inside the Horde ship, the commander roared. "Grapples! If we are going down, we're taking them with us!"

As the Horde ship turned on its side and a row of chained hooks flew out to slam into the _Cu Chulainn_. The chains tightened as the Horde ship continued to turn forcing the Earth ship closer.

"Comm! Send out a message on all frequencies, "ordered the Captain Marshal, "Try to warn the Eternians! Engineering, try to get those hooks off of us! Everyone else, prepare for impact."

**(Snake Mountain)**

Skeletor sat on his throne watching the fight through his crystal dome as he considered his options. Evil-Lyn, Tri-Clops and his other minion sat or stood silently around the table, waiting for his orders.

_"Eternia, this is the Earth Alliance Vessel _Cu Chulainn_. We are currently under attack by the Horde and both ships on a collision course with Eternia. Repeat: We are on a collision course with.."_

**To be continued….**


	6. Reunion

**Note: **It's amazing how many more reviews one gets when you leave the story on a cliff hanger. Thanks for all the nice things you guys are saying. I know I need to work on some of my grammar and spelling but it's been a while since I actually had to use it beyond the occasional business email.

I know the battle scene is not very good, but considering some of the fight/battle scenes from the old He-Man cartoon it should fit. Warning: A certain song may get stuck in your head after a certain line in this chapter and I would like to apologize ahead of time for it.

Sorry for the short chapter once again, but I'm trying to stick to plan of posting at least one chapter a week and with work being a pain...well...(sigh)

**Chapter 6: Reunion**

_Previously on Earth's Magic_**:**

_"Eternia, this is the Earth Alliance Vessel _Cu Chulainn_. We are currently under attack by the Horde and both ships on a collision course with Eternia. Repeat: We are on a collision course with..."_

**(Outside of the Eternian Royal Palace) **

"By the Ancients!" exclaimed the armored king as he watched the two shipped streak across the sky.

"Guards! Masters! "ordered Teela as her sky sled rose up, "Move out!"

Sky sleds, Wind Raiders and Stratos took off. Attack Traks, ridden mechanical horses and other land vehicles followed with the more land bound Masters.

Adam with Cringer was already part way to Darksmoke when he noticed the two ships. A few seconds later he activated his communicator as he flew downward to land.

**(Crash Site)**

Large, intertwining grooves illustrated the path the two warring vessels followed after crashing into the fields. The Horde warship was in mostly in one piece but barely. Not far away, the _Cu Chulainn_ was surprisingly good shape. Aside from a few dents and the hook in her side, she looked almost flight worthy.

Large, bay doors slowly opened up on the Horde vessel. As soon as there was enough room, Horde soldiers and robots started to stream out. Commander Aerallo's voice rang out orders to capture the Earth ship and its captain. The other humans were expendable.

The first few soldiers to reach the _Cu Chulainn_ climbed up trying to find an entrance but were blasted off by shots fired from the sky. Teela flew overhead on her sky sled and send a few more blasts towards the Horde. She was soon followed by the rest of the airborne Royal Guards and Masters.

From the inside of an Attack Trak, Man at Arms attempted to raise the crew of the Earth ship through the Attack Trak's communicator. "This is Man at Arms, of the Eternian Royal Guard. We are outside your ship and are fighting off the Horde. Can anyone on the Earth ship hear me?"

**(Inside the **_**Cu Chulainn**_**)**

With a few groan and moans that were barely heard due to the alarms, the bridge crew got up and dusted themselves off. Marshall pressed a few buttons on his armrest only to find they were non-responsive. "You two, "he said looking at the helmsman and navigator get those fires out. Comm try to get the monitor up, "He used his personal communicator to reach the crew, "Damage reports, is anyone injured?"

The alarms slowly shut down as they lost power and now the muffled sounds of battle could be heard. "What the…"said the navigator.

"Sir!" said the communications officer, "We are being hailed by a 'Man at Arms.' He claims to be part of the Eternian Royal Guard."  
Marshall walked over and took the earpiece with a nod to opening the channel. "This is Captain Steve Marshall of the Earth Military Vessel _Cu Chulainn. _Do you hear me, Man at Arms?"

"We hear you, Captain Marshall, "the static filled response was heard, "Are you all alright in there? The Guard is currently keeping the Horde off of you, but since they are so close to your ship we don't dare hit them too hard."

"Understood and thanks, "said the Captain with one ear listening to his personal communicator, Marshall added, "All crew members are accounted for. No serious injuries. If you can hold them off for a few more moments, we can help drive them off."

"Agreed, "said Mann at Arms.

Marshall returned the earpiece and then ordered, "Gear up! Full combat."

**(Outside) **

"Get ready, "came Duncan's voice from Teela's communicator as she fired a few shots, "The Earthlings are getting ready to evacuate the ship and join in."

A few moments later, a door on the side of the Earth ship slid open. Eight grayish-blue armored figures double timed it out two at a time. As soon as they were clear of the ship, each pair split up and fired off their assault rifles towards the Horde as they headed for cover. One of the first ones out was wearing slightly different looking armor with sliver colored trim.

From his downed warship, Commander Aerallo saw this on his monitor and snarled. His prey was now becoming the predator. He picked up and shouldered his oversized blast rifle and turned to join his men. If they failed, his life wouldn't be worth living anyways. Both Lord Devon and Horde High Command would make sure of it.

An evil laugh startled him and he quickly prepared his rifle to fire. "Looks like you could use a little help, "said Skeletor stepping through some smoke with Panthro at his side.

"I know of you traitor, "said Aerallo with a snarl as he stood up aiming his rifle, "I would shoot you now but it would be a waste of energy."

"I'm hurt, "said Skeletor sarcastically, "And here I was all ready to save you and your few remaining soldiers. But if you don't want my help…"

Aerallo closed his eye and growled, "What's your price?"

"We'll discuss that later, "said Skeletor as he tapped the foot of his havoc staff on the floor, "For now, lets us see if we can thin out some of the vermin."

Evil-Lyn appeared out of thin air on the top of the warship's wreckage and starting casting spells that brought shards of ice from the sky down on the Eternians and Earthlings.

One of the Earthmen exclaimed, "What the hell?!"

"Watch yourself, Evans, "said Marshall through his helmet's communicator as he continued firing, "It's only magic."

"Only magic he says…"said another voice through the helmet communicator, "How do we fight magic?"

Now that the battle was a little more even and actually started to move more in the favor of the Horde soldiers when large pack of wolf like creatures with spikes howled as they were ordered by Beastman to attack. Tri-Klops lead a squad of robots from his sky sled all firing on flying Eternians as Trap Jaw lead squads on the ground.

Then above the sounds of the fight, the Battle Cat's roar shook the ground as He-Man road in and they literally mowed down a squad of robots

"FUS RO DAH!"

A force wave flew into and scattered a squad of flying robots to the four winds and cleared the way for Dovahzii to fly in. She called out "Kaan Drem Ov!" towards the spiked wolf pack and the ones they were attacking. The wolves all stopped and looked up towards the dragon warrior as those who were being attacked shook their heads as if confused. Dovahzii then said "Raan Mir Tah." The wolves' eyes glowed briefly as they all turned to face Beastman with a growl.

"Oh oh, "said Beastman as he slowly started to step away.

He-Man dismounted and took hold of one of the damaged sky sleds and threw it towards the Horde ship, close to where Evil-Lyn stood. When it landed it caused the whole ship to shake and roll slighting, knocking Evil-Lyn over and stopping the ice shard shower.

With a growl Dovahzii saw that Captain Marshall surround by robots and the few remaining Horde soldiers. With a "Du Grah Dun" she landed close to the captain and her staff started to glow. She swung her staff knocking over and away three of the attackers that were going for Marshall from behind.

"Thanks "said Marshall as he shot two robots and used his assault rifle's butt to hit the third one across the face. Seeing how the newest arrivals to the battle were making mincemeat of his forces, Skeletor sent a blast to clear a path way out of the ship. "Curse those meddlers! And just when it was starting to get fun, "said Skeletor and he turned to Aerallo to add, "We better leave or next we'll be seeing She-Ra or someone just as annoying show up."

**(After the battle, next to a partially damaged Wind Raider)**

Dovahzii sat on the hood of the Wind Raider, hands and chin on the top of her staff as she enjoyed the show of two old soldiers trying to play diplomat. After one too many different renditions of 'We come in peace, 'she finally spoke up, "This is what the third or fourth time contact between Earth and Eternia has led to people from both worlds working together? I think it's safe to skip this whole 'let's get along' song and dance. Leave it to the politicians to work over the details. It's what they're paid for, after all."

Man at Arms sent a small glare at the unimpressed dragon warrior as Captain Steve Marshall coughed slightly. Teela stepped up to the strange warrior and asked, "Who are you?"

The woman shrugged and said, "Dovahzii is as good a name as any. Even though it's more _what_ I am rather than _who _I am."

"She's a friend, "volunteered He-Man walking up and leaned against the same Wind Raider, "She just got here from Darksmoke to help out."

"This _friend_ should start heading back or Granamyr will have my hide taking too long, "said Dovahzii with a half-smile.

"Wait, you're heading to Darksmoke?" asked Teela and seeing Dovahzii nod, added "If you happen to see them, could you please find out what is keeping Adam so long? He missed the whole fight."

With an amazed look on her face, Dovahzii said, "You mean you actually expected and wanted the Prince and Heir to the throne of Eternia in an active battle? I did not know that the throne had the heirs to spare."

"What do you m…"Teela started to ask, only to be interrupted by the dragon warrior.

"I asked that the Prince and the apprentice to stay behind for their own safety. Both are too valuable for what they will one day become to risk on a single and relative small battle, "Dovahzii said firmly, "He-Man and myself are better suited for the battlefield than they are, especially when we are not distracted by concern about someone's safety."

"Enough, Dovahzii, "said He-Man firmly.

"My apologies "said the winged warrior as she slid off the air ship and then bowed slightly. She turned and prepared to take off as she said, "I see to it that Prince Adam and Althea return to the palace."

"WAIT!" exclaimed Steve Marshall, as he took hold of the Dovahzii's to prevent her from leaving, "You said you'll see to _Althea's_ return?!"

Dovahzii shrugged slightly and said, "Althea has been studying under Granamyr in the control and use of her mage gift. I do believe Granamyr will understand that she might be needed to greet her countrymen and family member to a strange world." With that said, Dovahzii flew off.

**(A few hours later at the Eternian Royal Palace)**

Man at Arms and Captain Marshall, wearing his formal dress uniform, walked into the throne room flanked by Teela and Stratos.

Man at Arms bowed and said "Your Majesties, I present you Captain Steve Marshal of the Earth Military Alliance ship _Cu Chulainn_."

Marshal gave a sharp, military bow to the King and Queen of Eternia.

"Welcome to Eternia, Captain Marshall. I am Randor, "said the king with a friendly smile. He then looked towards the queen, "This is my wife, Queen Marlena. I assume you have already met Duncan, my Man at Arms, and Teela, the Captain of the Royal Guard."

"It is an honor, You Majesty, "replied Marshall, "And I do thank you for all the assistance you have provided and have offered. I will admit that I am almost overwhelmed by such a warm welcome. After all, I have basically brought a war to your front steps."

The throne room doors swung open to allow Althea, Cringer and Prince Adam to walk in. Seeing Captain Marshall, Althea limped faster as she cried out, "Steve!"

"Pardon me, "said Marshal with a small bow towards the thrones. The king nodded his permission. Steven then turned and walked quickly to meet up with his niece.

**(Snake Mountain)**

Aerallo, with a pair of Skeletor's robots flanking him, was marched into Skeletor's throne room.

"Commander Aerallo, "said Skeletor sitting on his throne, "I do hope you and your men are finding the stay at Snake Mountain comfortable."

Aerallo stood not far from his host and said, "What could you possibly want from me Skeletor? My ship is lost as well as most of my weapons and crew. My life is forfeit if I return to the Horde both for losing my ship and making a deal with a known traitor."

"Ah, the Horde, "said Skeletor as he created a finger pyramid and sat back, "What is the Horde's interest here?"

"None, "Aerallo answered, "The only reason why I'm here is to take care of an Earthling that has proven to be a thorn in the side of Horde High Command."

"Rrrrreallly, "asked Skeletor, "Tell me more about this Earthling."

Figuring there was no point keeping it a secret since he was stuck here, Aerallo answered truthfully, "His name is Steve Marshall. He was captured when Lord Devon's group raided an island chain where most of the world's larger naval forces were docked. While on route to Horde World for questioning, he and a few others somehow took control of the prison ship they were on. He then led his small group on a piracy spree that included stealing a Horde space frigate, the destruction of three other warships and a command ship. That alone would have placed a nice price on his head, but it was his return to Earth that marked the point where the Earthlings started to consistently succeed in fighting off Horde forces. What should have been a relatively easy planetary take-over ended up being one of the few times the Horde was actually forced to retreat. Horde High Command believes that Steve Marshall is to blame."

Tapping two fingers together, Skeletor thought a few moments before saying, "So this has nothing to do with a certain Dovah or another Earthling showing up not too long ago."

"What are you talking about?"

Skeletor reached over and took hold of his havoc staff. He indicated that Aerallo should watch as he waved his hand over the orb held in place by the skull's horns. An image of Dovahzii fighting in the earlier battle appeared. "This is the Dovah and according to reliable sources, they died out centuries ago. The last one was buried on Earth." The image changed to one of Althea sitting with Queen Marlena and Man at Arms in the memory projector room. "This is Althea Strom, a magic wielder from Earth that is learning on how to better control and use her abilities before returning to her home world."

Aerallo snarled. One of the reasons that Earth was chosen to be conquered was its apparent lack of magic. It was assumed that they would have absolutely no defense against the Horde's more magic based weapons and warriors. It was bad enough that old magical artifacts have been found and used by Earth's defenders, but if Earth should get true magic users...

"Aaaah, I see you were unaware, "said Skeletor with false concern, "I had assumed that a 'Devon' would have notified the Horde. After all, he is the one who saw to their arrival on Eternia."

"What?!"

"It's true, "said Skeletor with a grin, "My spies in the Royal Palace have heard the story as it was described to the King Randor."

"That worthless piece of slim, "muttered Aerallo thinking about what he heard through the Horde rumor mill lately. Then he became suspicious and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"My argument has never been with the Horde, only with Hordak, "Skeletor said firmly, "So long as the Horde leaves Eternia for me to conquer, I'm more than happy to pass on a bit or two of useful information."

Aerallo laughed humorlessly, "Plus if we take care of few of your obstacles while seeing to it that Marshall never returns to Earth all the better for you."

"I do believe we understand each other, "said Skeletor.

Aerallo sighed and then said, "I need to contact Horde High Command."

With a nod, Skeletor signaled for Tri-Klops to bring in an old crate with the Horde symbol burned in on it. Tri-Klops opened the crate to reveal a dust covered interplanetary communicator.

**To be continued….**


	7. Informal Meeting

**Note**: It seems that every time I bring up my planned schedule for my posts, something happens that causes me to break that schedule. I do apologize for taking so long on posting but I really blame you guys. Questions about what I was using as 'canon' made me take another look to find out what was brought up in the reviews. So I got around to watching some She-Ra episodes to refresh what I know about the Horde. And it basically made me completely toss out the chapter I originally had written up.

I am ignoring the Christmas special. Main reason, I've only seen it once when it was released back in the 80's so I'm not really familiar with it. I tried watching it after it was brought up in the reviews and figured it was best to leave it that way. Sorry but I don't see Horde Prime really being afraid a holiday that even those that celebrate Christmas seem to have less regard for every year. Since I'm not using this special episode, Skeletor has not been in contact with the higher ups of the Horde since bone brain and Hordak betrayed each other when they kidnapped the baby Princess Adora.

As for Skeletor's relationship with the Horde, I always figured with Hordak being Horde Prime's brother (could be wrong, need to re-check) and never admitting to his own failures, he completely blamed Skeletor for his failure on Eternia.

I also have a small request and a small spoiler here for you guys. Eventually, this story will end up back on Earth. I hope to add one or two adventures on Earth before ending the story. If you have any suggestions of magical or mythical items that appear in myth or legend to add to this story, please let me know. Since I have already touched on Greek/Roman myth (Athena's Aegis shield) and Nordic (a protective rune) I do ask that it is from a culture that doesn't seem to over-populate the internet so much. I do have one Native American myth in mind, but I need at least one more. Please let it have at least its roots in real Earth mythology and not from a video game, fantasy novel, etc. These are great, I'm actually addicted to them, but I want real myths and/or legends. Items, beings and/or animals are welcomed.

**Chapter 7: Informal Meeting**

On a balcony over-looking the palace court-yard, Althea sat at a table sipping from a large glass. She ignored sounds of the Earth soldiers and Eternian guards training below as she concentrated on the white covered book lying on the table.

Suddenly, a hand took hold of the book and slid it away from her. "Hey!" Althea said as she sent a glare towards the 'book thief.' Sitting on the other side of the table, Steve turned the book around to read it. He said a few choice words as he slammed the book shut, looking a little ill.

"That's what you get for taking my book, "Althea said as she took the book back.

"How the hell do you read or even look at that, "asked Steve rubbing his eyes. Then with more serious look, he added, "I was wondering if you would be willing to come to the 'informal' meeting about future Eternian and Earth relations?"

"I can go, "said Althea with a confused look, "but why would you want me there? I may have worked for the Earth Alliance on a few digs, but I'm no one 'important'."

Steve leaned forwarded and put his hands together on the table. Looking straight into his niece's eyes he said, "Now you are. You are the closest thing Earth has to an expert on magic and as soon as we get back to Earth, I'm filling out the paperwork to officially make you part of my research team. "

"I'm Earth's expert, "said Althea, "That's not good. I'm barely learning how to use my own magic and there are plenty of people who knows way more about old magics."

"They know what was believed to be magic. You are the only one who is able to determine what is real magic and has a clue on what to do with it, "said Steve. He then sighed, "I hate to say it, but that makes you a very valuable resource. I'm proud of what you are doing, but it makes you a tool and a target. I rather have you working for me; at least I take care of my tools."

"Oookay, "said Althea, "And you want me at the meeting, whyyyy?"

"I want you there in case there are questions about magic, "said Steve. He then shrugged and added, "Plus you already have a friendly relationship with the royal family. They trust you."

"So long as I don't have to abuse that trust, "said Althea with a shrug, "I'll go."

Steve got an evil look on his face and then said, "Good. Before we go, I thing it might be a good idea to bring you up to date on what's going on back home."

**(Later that day, Conference Room)**

Around the large table sat Man at Arms, Prince Adam, Captain Marshall and Althea Strom. Two places at the head of the table were empty. Everyone that was waiting was looking over some folders to try to get the heads up on what was going to be said.

The doors opened and seeing the King with the Queen enter, everyone around the table stood up. The King and Queen made their way to their places. The King pulled out the seat for the Queen and after she was seated, he sat down himself as a signal for the others to sit.

"As you know, this is to an informal meeting between representatives of Earth and Eternia to discuss the current status of the Horde as it applies to both worlds, "said the King as everyone in the room nodded in agreement, "Prince Adam is here since he is the one here that is most familiar with the status of the Horde on Etheria. Duncan, if you would be so kind to begin."

"Thank you, your Majesty, "Man at Arms said as he pressed a button to bring up a hologram image of an old foe, "This is Hordak. He led the invasion of Eternia about twenty years ago. When that failed, he and his then student, Skeletor, kidnapped the then infant Princess Adora. When Adam was recently able to rescue his sister and bring her back to Eternia, Hordak followed and attempted to reclaim her with the help of his former apprentice. Fortunately for us, they hate each other and this attempted failed. More details about the invasion can be found in the folder marked 'Eternia.' Captain Marshall?"

Steve Marshall nodded and pressed a button. The hologram changed from Hordak to Lord Devon. "Our information of who actually lead the original invasion of Earth is limited, but the one in charge of the Horde's current actions seems to be Lord Devon. Our best guess is that the previous leader lost his place after it proven that taking Earth using his methods turned out too costly. Lord Devon seems to be greatly interested in the recently activated magical artifacts found scattered across our planet and in secretly weakening our defenses as we attempt to build them up. This leads me to believe that there will be another invasion. What information I have with me and can share, can be found in the 'Earth' folder."

Adam cleared his throat and then said, "As you heard from Man at Arms, Hordak was forced to leave Eternia. He later invaded and conquered Etheria. For years, they kept the Etherians controlled by fear and enslaving any who fought back. There are some areas that are left relatively untouched by the Horde thanks to the native magics. For example, the Whispering Woods which is now the home of the rebellion. My sister decided to remain on Etheria to help the rebellion with her knowledge of Horde tactics and since she's joined up they actually have had a few victories, including the liberation of the Kingdom of Brightmoon."

Marshall spoke up to ask, "Would your sister being willing to provide Earth with a little of that intell?"

"I can ask. I don't think she'll mind but to be honest what she knows is what the Horde does when it is already in control of planet and plans to keep it that way, "replied Adam and then continued, "When I was there I did notice that even though the Horde does have its own powerful magic users, Etherian magic seem to be, not more powerful but have a stronger base…I'm not sure if that's the correct word either."

"Magics native to the world will have stronger roots in that world than imported magics, "volunteered Althea, "Basically this means they are more durable when used on home turf, but you may want to verify this with someone with more experience. This could be one of the reasons what little Earth magics we have figured out how to use was so effective."

King Randor then prompted, "Anything else you wish to add, son?"

"It seems that although the Horde has control over multiple worlds, their resources are always limited. Even Hordak only has so many troops, vehicles and weapons. He has to depend on the resources he digs up on Etheria to keep functioning as well as send a good portion of it to the Horde Home World. So my guess is that the more worlds that fight back, the more resources they'll need but the fewer resources they'll end up acquiring. However, this is only from what I've seen on Etheria."

"If they use the same tactics they tried to use on Earth, it would make sense. Even if they did conquer a planet, it would be expensive and many of the resources you would hoping to get might be lost or destroyed, "said Marshall, "You'll find in the notes I included, the Horde Home World is believed to be completely stripped of its natural resources and was one of the reasons why they started the taking over of worlds."

"So it might be possible to 'starve' them of resources if enough planets fight back or rebel, "mused Man at Arms. He shook his head, "This would be way beyond anything we can do. Even if Earth, Eternia and Etheria all joined forces it wouldn't be enough."

Althea had a faraway look for a few moments and then said, "No, but we can lead by example. If enough worlds find out about Earth, Eternia and Etheria fighting back and winning…"

King Rando coughed and said, "That's well enough, but for more current concerns…"the king turned his attention to Captain Marshall, "How much authority have you been granted by your world's leaders?"

Marshall smiled, "Enough to suggest possible embassies to be built on both worlds and mention that the Earth Military Alliance is interested in a possible mutual protection treaty but not enough to actually start the talks on one or even give a hint on actually what else Earth might want." He then gave his niece a mischievous look.

"Since I'm not yet officially part of the Military Alliance, I can freely mention some 'gossip' I've heard, "said Althea leaning back and crossing her arms, "Earth basically wants someone to watch its back long enough for us to finish up the repairs from the invasion and build up almost from scratch a true planetary defense. Most of our weapons are designed to fight each other on Earth, not an invader from space. If a reliable means of transport between the two worlds can be developed, then definite trade treaties in the future. If fear of the Horde doesn't impress the general public to support a treaty, money and job making possibilities will."

Randor actually snorted at that last comment and then said, "Then it might be a good idea to send someone to Earth that is familiar with the Horde and has the authority to lay down policy. Hmmm…Actually, I think Adam would be perfect for the job."

"What?!" Adam exclaimed, almost breaking his neck turning to look at his father," Me?"

Man at Arms also spoke up, "Your Majesty, until we can…"

"Actually, "said the king, ignoring his son and friend, "The more I think about it, more I believe Adam is almost perfect for the job. Even though he is young, he does have a talent for and experience with diplomacy. Plus, as the prince he has all and more of the authority to make decisions in my name. Then it is final, if Captain Marshall agrees, Prince Adam will go to Earth."

"My love, "said the Queen, "Shouldn't I go instead? Since I'm from Earth, I would be more familiar…"

The king took Marlena's hand and said, "That's the reason why you shouldn't go. They might try to play on your dual loyalties and have you promise more than we can offer."

**(Later, Man at Arm's Lab)**

Adam sat at with his face flat on one of the work tables, with Althea sitting next to him patting his back. Muffled but easily heard, he said, "How do I get myself into these messes."

"It might not be that bad, "said Man at Arms not sounding convinced, "You have left Eternia before."

Adam sat up to reply, "But only for a few days at a time and this could take months, if not longer. We can't expect Skeletor to remain quiet for that long, especially if He-Man doesn't show up for a few emergencies in a row."

Sighing, Man at Arms crossed his arms and said, "If only that portal wasn't destroyed."

"Couldn't a new portal be created?" said Althea guiltily," I know its way beyond my skills, but what about the Sorceress?"

"I don't think she can, "said Man at Arms, "When Queen Marlena first arrived, we asked the Sorceress if she could help Marlena return home."

"Lieutenant Marlena Glenn had to stay here so that a certain pair of heroes would be born, "Althea said flatly, "Now one of those heroes needs a portal to do his job."

"I'm not sure it's that simple…"

"Ask her, "said Althea, "Don't forget I don't see _Prince _Adam going to Earth without at least his bodyguard. If He-Man should show up on Earth without any obvious means or reason of being there…"

A thunk could be heard when Adam planted his face back onto the table and then with a loud sigh he said, "I'll talk to her…"

**To be continued…**


End file.
